Closer Than You Think

We drove through a sanctuary of trees today on a winding road that passed through the very glory of God in the springtime.  No wildlife in sight, I thought, looking through the windshield at 45 miles per hour.  I don’t see anything.

But I know from experience, that these particular woods are actually teeming with all manner of woodland creatures, both great and small.  Just because they are not waving at the side of the asphalt road at exactly the time I pass, does not mean that they do not exist.  I am just unaware.  My problem, not theirs.

I know that, because of my many runs through this wonderland, on dirt paths and gravel roads and ribbons of asphalt.  I run slowly with eyes wide open, as cars with windows rolled-up pass me by.  And the stillness of the deep opens up to me, deer watching me from a thicket on the side of the road, not ten feet away, silent and still, painted subtly as if part of the landscape.  I have also seen a mother deer beyond in a field of tall grass with her newborn unsteady on its feet. 

Just yesterday, about a hundred feet away on the edge of some newly green trees, a shadow moved.  I stopped and watched a yearling black bear move almost imperceptibly on padded feet, as he looked for bugs in the grass and roots.  Few creatures are so magnificent.  I never tire of seeing them in the wild.  Swallows swooped around me in the open areas, and in the shade of a crowd of trees, warblers sang a thousand melodies.  I move among them with only the crunch of gravel beneath my shoes. 

Cars passed in a steady stream, its occupants wondering where the wildlife was.  I have seen them gawk, but not so much at the animals.  They look at me like I am the crazy one to reject the comfort of an air-conditioned vehicle with high-definition stereo, leather bucket seats and a bag of snacks.

I wonder if people disclaim the presence of God – or even His very existence – because He does not perform their agenda on their time table as they speed through life.  Where is God?  I don’t see Him.  He must not exist.

And all the while, the evidence surrounds them, layer upon layer, His glory so profound that the mountains sing and all the trees of the field clap their hands.

Be still,

    and know that I am God.

                   Psalm 46.10