When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
Genesis 28:16
Is there a spiritual practice or discipline that has been especially meaningful for you? Is it daily Bible reading and prayer? Perhaps it’s memorizing and meditating on Scripture, or visiting the sick and homebound? I am always happy to share with others a particular spiritual practice especially meaningful to me. Years later people have told me how much the practice has come meant to them. I find that this spiritual practice also has a way of drawing spiritual seekers close to God and the Gospel. I discovered this spiritual practice years ago in the book “Daring to Dream Again” by David and Karen Mains: the Daily God Hunt.
People hunt for many different things. Some hunt for gold and buried treasure; some hunt for bargain prices, baseball trading cards, even elk. With the Daily God Hunt we hunt for God. It is easy enough to do, but with great reward.
You start the Daily God Hunt first thing in the morning by praying: “Lord, I am going to be hunting for You today. Give me eyes to behold your presence with me.” Then with eyes open to God who is always present with us, you look for God in many ways, including:
- An answer to prayer
- God showing Himself in His wondrous creation [e.g. a beautiful sunrise, an intricate flower, a full moon, the fluorescent color on a hummingbird]
- God present to you through another person’s presence, words, or actions
- God helping you to do His work in the world
- Any evidence of God’s love and care for you
- Add any of your own God moments here
Then, top off your day taking some time to reflect on the day and note any “God Sightings”. As you note a God Sighting, be sure and thank God for His presence with you. Each time you do this you sharpen your spiritual vision for beholding God’s daily presence with you. You can double your delight in your God Sightings by sharing them with others. Sharing your God Sightings can encourage others, and you! You might even start them on their own daily God Hunt. As we practice the daily God Hunt we can begin to say with Jacob in today’s scripture: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
Like David we can experience the comfort of God’s presence with us through all of life:
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)
A fellow traveler
Tim
