Look Up!

By wisdom the LORD founded the earth;by understanding he created the heavens.By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth,and the dew settles beneath the night sky.

Proverbs 3:19-20

I grew up in a nominal Christian home. We believed in God, but we lived like he was far away and unconcerned. When I was eighteen, one of the first college classes I took was Philosophy of World Religions. I was drawn to spiritual things but had a lot of questions. Some of the questions were What is the meaning of life? and Where did we come from? The first day of class, the professor held up a Bible and asked if anyone believed in that book. I weakly raised my hand, not because I had ever read it, but because somehow I felt it must be important. With a tone of authority he said, “It is my stated goal that at the end of this class no one will believe in the Bible, because life is all about you; you are the center of the universe.” Well, as an eighteen-year-old, I already lived like life was all about me. He was singing my song. So at the end of the semester I dropped out of college, left home, and traveled to the tropics of Mexico to “find myself.”

Two years and many travels later, I had found myself, but didn’t like what I found. I was disillusioned, confused, and empty. Walking along the beach one evening, I was overwhelmed with the power and beauty of a tropical sunset. Falling to my knees I cried out to God, “God I know that you are real, and I do not know you.” I didn’t know that the Bible says, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship” (Psalm 19:1). But that night, surrounded by such majesty, I experienced both an awe and a hunger to know the one who created it all.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Has it been a while since you cried out to God, not asking him to do something for you, but to know him? Has it been a while since you went outside and looked up at the beauty of a starry night? God heard my voice that glorious night, and he will indeed hear you.

One Year Bible Reading

Genesis 32:13–34:31; Matthew 11:7-30; Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 3:19-20