Wonderstruck by my Creator, this moment of spiritual awakening stirred in me a longing to experience more of God.
If these lights were so beautiful, how much more stunning must their Maker be?
What kind of God paints the sky in such effulgent hues? For some, the northern lights are a tourist attraction, but for me, they are a portal to the very heart of God.
My lips remained motionless, but my soul sang as I witnessed this revival in the night sky. The hours passed. I offered up a silent prayer to lay hold of the wonder of God, to find myself once again awed by another facet of his nature, another glimpse of his presence in our world.
Even though I lived in Alaska for five years and witnessed the northern lights more than 100 times, none compared to that night. I still savor the encounter and live in hopeful anticipation of another.
Though we now live at a lower latitude on the outskirts of a major city notorious for its light pollution, on many nights, you’ll still find me scouting the sky in hope of catching another glimpse of the wonder.
It occurred to me that this is the posture we’re supposed to take in our spiritual journeys. God delights for us to cup our hands in prayer and scrunch our faces against the vault of heaven in holy expectation that he will meet us in beautiful, mysterious ways.
The Creator desires to captivate us not just with his handiwork but with himself – displaying facets of his character, igniting us with his fiery love, awakening us to the intensity of his holiness.
Often such incidents occur when we least anticipate, leaving us wonderstruck much like my encounter with the northern lights. But the insistent invitation of the Spirit is to stay alert! Eyes wide open. Hands pressed against the glass.
We never know when or how God, like the aurora borealis, will appear. But we can live each day trusting that the God who met us in the past will once again greet us with arms wide open in the future.
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