“Nancy—kitchen window!” Steve stage whispered, loud enough for me to hear.
And while dashing from the office I cried, “Coming!” because his tone meant Steve had spotted something unusual in the backyard or the strip of woods beyond that.
“Look down in the thicket to the right of the black walnut tree,” he directed. I carefully scanned the undergrowth but noticed nothing out of the ordinary.
“You don’t see four little eyes looking out?” Steve asked.
I did not.
“Stand here,” he directed, and stepped back so I could position myself directly in front of him. Then he leaned in, raised his hand to my eye level, and pointed. “Look up a foot from the base of the trunk, scan two feet to the right, under that diagonal branch, then look for four bright spots close together.”
I directed my eyes down the sight line he gave me and followed his instructions. Sure enough, two little foxes were peering out from thick foliage that provided excellent cover. But with Steve’s guidance, I was able to share with him that exceptional moment. We’ve never seen fox kits since.
God also invites us to stand close to him—not just for moments of exceptional blessing, although he offers plenty of those. No, our Heavenly Father offers us life support in the form of strength, help, serenity and more when we draw near to him. The question becomes how—how do we move in close to God? How do we best avail ourselves of all he has to offer?
Perhaps the best way to begin is:
Say yes to becoming well-acquainted with God.
As Steve explained how to spot the foxes, I never once thought he might suddenly say, “Ha-ha! Made you look!” He’s not one to play silly pranks; he has proven himself trustworthy.
The best place to become acquainted with God and his trustworthiness is in his Word. Years ago a Bible teacher recommended that whatever passage we may be reading, look for evidence of God’s attributes and think how they’re manifested in our lives. It’s a delightful, uplifting exercise.
Some are obvious. In the psalms, for example, we find many statements describing him. He is:
- A shield around us (3:3)
- Righteous (7:17)
- Always loving (13:5)
- Our rock, fortress and deliverer (18:2)
- Our Shepherd who provides, protects, and guides (23:1-6)
Other attributes are less obvious to identify. But in the opening verses of Romans, for example, we find evidence that God is:
- A purpose-setter for each of us (1:1)
- a promise-keeper (1:2)
- holy—separated from all other beings because of his perfection (v. 4)
- gracious (v. 5)
- our source of peace (v. 7)
And as we consider how each attribute has been manifested in our lives we soon discover: to know God is to trust God (Psalm 9:10).
Say yes to practicing his presence.
Identify stops throughout each day—moments to refocus attention on our Heavenly Father through praise, gratitude and prayer. For me that includes a quiet time each morning, exercising to Christian music, worship at the window while waiting for the microwave, and reciting scripture before falling asleep.
When I taught school, I would use the trips between my classroom and the gym, library, computer lab, etc. for moments of worship.
Say no to more screen time or whatever competes for your attention yet accomplishes little.
Years ago a young couple in our church decided to finish their college degrees—even though both worked full-time and they had two young children. How did they find time to study?
W. and T. went to bed at 8:00 when their kids did, then got up at 3:00 or 4:00 to complete assignments and prepare for tests. With discipline and perseverance they achieved their goal.
We can do the same to achieve our goal of knowing God: make time to stand close with him in his Word, in his presence.
James the brother of Jesus wrote:
Notice God leaves the choice to us; we have to make the first move.
The day of the fox kit sighting my response to Steve could have been, “Too busy—can’t come!” But I would have missed an exceptional moment.
I’m so glad my response was, “Coming!”
________________________
Other posts that address these topics:
- God’s attributes manifested in our lives: Be Glad!
- Becoming more aware of his presence: A Most Astounding Privilege
- Practicing his presence: Heart to Heart
Photo credits: Nancy Ruegg; http://www.wikimedia.com; http://www.pixy.org; http://www.dailyverses.net; http://www.canva.com (3).
From the Inside Out 
Great illustrations Nancy, Love the little fox kits. Don’t leave the door open, they are sneaky.
So glad you found the illustrations meaningful, Gary. And thanks for the warning! We don’t leave our doors open or we’d have squirrels in the house too!
Thanks for sharing that God moment with us!
Yes, sometimes He just wants to give us a moment of delight. I was walking with Him one day and felt led to a tree that had an unusual arrangement of leaves and seeds, which He used to teach me something about the way the Church is arranged. As I moved on to the next tree, I was fascinated by the view when I stood right next to the trunk and looked up, but no obvious object lesson manifested. “So .. what am I supposed to learn from this one?” I finally asked.
“Nothing, silly, just enjoy it.”
“Oh… 😏 Nice work!” ❤️
Who said God doesn’t have a sense of humor?! Thanks for sharing your experience, Annie!
I love the idea of looking for the attributes of God when we read His Word, Nancy. What a great perspective, and sure to draw us closer to Him! And when He calls, my we all answer, as you did, “I’m coming!”
Blessings!
Thank you, Martha. I too want to respond to God the way I responded to Steve that morning–immediate and trusting!
Nancy,
Catches of praise are like glue in the daily grind. Have you been finding more quiet times from the Lord during COVID? Have a great day. In Christ,
Gary
You’re right about the glue simile. Praise has helped to hold ME together on many a rough day! / Yes, I have been enjoying long, leisurely quiet times most mornings since we went into isolation last March. That has been a delight!
The Lord bring you great times of refreshing and renewal.
Thanks for your writings Nancy. The foxes story brought to mind a time when I heard what sounded like my dog whining mto go out. I was halfep and realized my dog had died from cancer. Well, later I heard the sound again. I found out a red fox had made a home for her pups under my front porch. Psalm 91 has been a respite for me ever since I was in the 173rd Infantry unit in Vietnam. I could read my Bible while in the jungle on a listening post. Thanks for your faithfulness in writing these posts. Never liked the word blog. 🙂
Sam
You’ve got me wondering where the word “blog” came from, Samuel! I’ll have to do some research. / When we moved to Ohio 6 1/2 years ago, I never dreamed we’d see foxes now and then in our city/suburban neighborhood. The number of wooded areas here and there offer them enough hunting ground I guess. / Psalm 91 has been a prime source of comfort for many soldiers and others in harm’s way over the centuries. God knew we would need such strong assurance from time to time!
Nancy, thank you for such a delightful and inspiring post. God certainly blesses us with many surprises and gifts if we only take the time to look around and appreciate them. Love the story of the kits that you so eloquently shared. Made we feel that I was there with you and Steve to enjoy it.
So glad you enjoyed that story of the fox kits, Ruth–even felt like you were with us–and you found the post inspiring. Praise God!
I love this story, There is so much to see in God’s world if we only look. You inspire me!
Well that works out nicely because you inspire me! So glad you loved the story, Jean.
Yes! Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Vicklea!
I like your last word – “Coming.”
I desire to respond immediately to the Lord when He calls.
Amen, Nikki–that’s my prayer too! And then stand close to avail myself of all he has to offer.
Just this week I was listening to a Christian radio program. The subject was about hope and faith. The host reminded me that faith is putting hope into action. After pondering upon that truth I decided that one way to put faith into action is by praising my Savior. One doesn’t need to look very far for ways to praise Him! There are so many things…big and small…that I take for granted! Wonderful post, Nancy!
And praise surely delights the heart of our Father. Thank you, Cheri!
Such wise advice. ❤
Thank you, Anna! Praise God for his inspiration!
Dear Nancy, oh yes, He is trustworthy, faithful, and strong. May I live each day like I truly know God is able.
Thank you, thank you little fox kits …
May I stand with you, close to our trustworthy, faithful, and strong Heavenly Father, till the end my days! Thank you, Linda.
Synchronicity is God’s way of staying anonymous… 💫Amazing blog, Nancy!😃
Thank you, Sakshisoni. The Bible tells us that ANY good and perfect gift is from our Heavenly Father: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17). And why do I believe the Bible? For a number of reasons too extensive to list here. But one example would be the well-documented proofs for numerous scriptures from the field of archaeology. You might be interested in this post about William Ramsay and his discoveries: https://nancyaruegg.com/2021/01/07/when-truth-unfolds/ (I hope the link works!)