Where’s Waldo?

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

Psalm 139:1-2, 7-8

 

One of my favorite books as a child was Where’s Waldo?  Each page placed the red striped shirt hero in another complex and busy setting and our job was to locate him.  Waldo was crafty; he would hide near people wearing clothes like him or even behind props and parts of the setting.  Many of you may feel that God and Waldo share a lot in common.  You feel like God only shows up at certain times and in certain ways.  That to “locate” God is a skill and a challenging one at that.  You only get that “God” feeling sporadically, you only “find” him on occasion and question where he is the rest of the time.

 

But the psalm is pretty clear about God’s presence all around us.  It reminds us that God is more than an emotion or character who makes sporadic appearances.  God is more than a fuzzy feeling that you get as you listen to special music, or go on a retreat, or attend a Christian concert.  God is not just present in good or bad times.  God is the one who made everything you see and experience, including you.  He is always present, always around us, always there for us; sometimes we just don’t take the time to notice him.

 

Are you on the lookout for God’s movement?  Are you ready for God to show up in ways and places you might not ordinarily look for him?

 

 

Discussion Questions

  1. What is one place that you don’t typically look for God?
  2. How have you seen God in your life recently?