I slept fitfully off and on all night. At 3:30 am I woke up in a panic from a dream I was having. I finally got back to sleep, only to wake up again at 6:30 am. Ugh! I could have slept in. It was Saturday, and I didn’t have to get up and out the door early for once.
I was just getting ready to roll over and try to go back to sleep when the thought slipped through my mind, “Don’t miss your moment.”
Then I was intrigued. Exhausted, but intrigued.
So I got up. I crept out of the bedroom, stumbled to the kitchen to make a large cup of tea, and settled in with my Bible and journal, and waited.
I prayed. I listened. I read. I prayed some more. And I waited.
And waited.
And waited. I waited for some deep revelation. For a SPECTACULAR encounter that would change the course of my life and ministry forever. I waited for my big moment.
A burning bush, perhaps. Maybe a vision like Isaiah had – I saw the Lord high and lifted up and His train filled the temple! I’d have settled for that still small voice Elijah heard on the mountain of God. Something out of the ordinary and worthy of a social media post.
Disappointingly, the spectacular moment I longed for never happened.
I was ready to get up and go about my day, but that don’t-miss-your-moment feeling lingered. So I sat a little bit longer, but still there was no lightning bolt.
Spectacular moments do happen. Jesus had angels minister to Him more than once. The voice of God thundered at His baptism, “This is my Son.” The Mount of Transfiguration had to be awesome to behold – Peter never wanted to leave.
But those experiences were few and far between, and to be honest, they were generally preceded or followed by immense times of difficulty, trials, or hardships. One happened right before He laid down His life in suffering for you and me on the cross.
Before and after and in between those spectacular experiences, we simply find, “Jesus withdrew to a quiet place to pray.” No angels. No lightning. Just the simplicity of quiet time with His Father.
The burning bush is cool, and it may even grab our attention, but it’s in the hidden, nondescript silence of a Saturday morning that secrets are shared and intimacy is deepened.
Don’t discount the power of a simple, intimate moment with the Lord because it isn’t an Instagram-worthy, spectacular experience.
I almost missed my moment that Saturday because it didn’t look like what I thought “a moment” should look like.
There may not have been lightning, but what I found was peace. Was strength. I found Him. And a gentle reminder to lean into on His ever-present presence. It was just the refreshing I needed after a super busy week, and I almost missed it.
He’s waiting for you in the stillness like He did for me. Don’t miss your moment.