1 Kings 19:11-13 – He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (NRSV)

Our three-year-old granddaughter was sent, by her mother, to get some of her storytime books to be read at "nap time". She dragged herself off, not very interested in nap time, and was gone an abnormally long time. When she returned, she explained to her mother that she could not find Winnie The Pooh, Bambi, or Little Red Riding Hood, but she very proudly held up her little white New Testament, and announced, "But, Mommy, I found God."

We adults are smart enough to know that God cannot be bound in a book. But we need to remind ourselves from time to time that God is in The Book, among countless other places.

Little Anna was not looking for God, but she found Him. In our Scripture, Elijah was looking for God, but only in places where he determined in his mind that God ought to be. Maybe if we just laid aside our own ideas, and said, "Lord, I want to find You badly enough to look wherever You lead me," maybe we too would find God.

"I found God" may not be quite right, but it is a great start for a three-year-old! In The Book is a good place to look for God, even for adults! When things go wrong, the answer is to look for God — not to try to hide from God in a mound of worldly things — and think that things will solve our troubles.

Prayer: O God, help us not to get so hung up on where You are, but just to spend more time in simple communication with You, without trying to get involved in the theology of where You are. Thank You, God, for little children who often lead us! Amen.

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About the author:

Virgil Lee <virgilsuelee@gmail.com>
Thomasville, Georgia, USA
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