And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:20

Often when my wife, Rita, returns from a walk in the early morning, I will ask her if she saw “Andy.”  With a twinkle in her eye she will often reply, “Yes, I saw Andy this morning, Andy talked with me.”

The little joke we share is something we have taken from the chorus of the old hymn, “In the Garden.”    The hymn is about Mary Magdalene coming to the garden on the first Easter morning and finding the tomb empty.  Then she is greeted by the living Lord.  The chorus of the hymn goes like this:

And He walks with me,  and he talks with me,

and he tells me I am His own;

and the joy we share as we tarry there,

none other has ever known.

Yes, Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own! Jesus promised He’d always be with us, to the end time.

With this in mind I want to share with you a spiritual practice that has been very meaningful to Rita and me.  The practice is the “Daily God Hunt.”  The Daily God Hunt is something I learned from David and Karen Mains in their book, Daring to Dream Again.  We cannot begin to dream God’s dreams for us until we really know that God is with us.

The Daily God Hunt begins each morning with a simple prayer telling God that we will be watching for Him throughout the day.  And then we look for God’s presence with us in:

1.     Any obvious answer to prayer

2.     Unexpected evidence of God’s care

3.     Help to do God’s work in the world

4.     Unusual linkage or timing (synchronicity)

At day’s end we reflect back on the day and note any God sightings.  We then give thanks for those times that he made His presence known to us.  We find that in looking for God each day He seldom disappoints.  The more we watch for Him, the more He seems to show up!

He promised He’d always be with us.  Watch for Him!

Grace and Peace,

Tim Smith