Lisa notes

“The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Job 33:4

Z—Zephyr

What is a zephyr?

A zephyr is a light breeze. On a hot day with stagnant air, you’ll notice even a small wind because it feels good. Same with a cold day; even a little wind can make you feel even colder.

But most days? The zephyrs blow right past us. We don’t even notice them.

God often is like a gentle breeze. If we’re not particularly warm or especially cold—life is running smoothly for us—we may not notice God breathing alongside us.

But in moments of extremity, we notice his winds.

And if we’re aware, we can notice his movement even in times of relative stillness.

God is always acting, moving, shifting the atmosphere.

• Zephyrs keep our lives from growing stagnant.
• Zephyrs stir us to move in new directions.
• Zephyrs cool us down and warm us up and remind us we’re not the ones in control after all.

I pray that you’ve felt God’s zephyrs blowing through your life these past 31 days. I have.

And I pray in the future we’ll live slow enough and sensitive enough to feel God’s movements—whether light or blustery—as he moves around us.

Try This

Notice the physical air around you. Hot? Cold? Calm? Breezy?

Take a deep breath, breathing in not only physical air, but God’s Spirit as well. Count your in-breaths and out-breaths for the next ten breaths, thanking God for the fresh spiritual winds he’s blowing your way.

Learn More

• Need to Catch Your Breath?
  Use the wind to remind you to breathe in God’s grace. And breathe out his praise.
• 5 Things I Learned from My Year of Deep Breathing
  Ironically, in my year of Deep Breathing, both my parents took their last breaths.
• Bill Nye the Science Guy on Wind
  Watch this 2-minute video on how air gets pushed around.
  

* * *

How have you felt God blowing around you lately? Please share in the comments.

We’re done! Thanks for reading 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God. See the index of all the posts here.

We looked at six new ways to spend time with God this past week.

Did one exercise prove more effective to you than the others? Which one helped you become more aware of God’s presence with you and in you?

• Tangles
  Three suggestions to get rid of tangles in your life.
• Underground
  Sometimes we have to go underneath things to get grounded. If God has already rescued you, you’re primed to help others find freedom’s path.
• Valuables
  What 3 things would you grab (other than people and pets!) if your house was on fire? Where is God in those things?
• Welcome
  “This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.” – Rumi. Can we welcome both good and bad?
• X-Rays
  A spiritual x-ray is God seeing us from the inside out, without having to cut us from the outside in.
• You
  Who is in front of you today? That’s where you can see God. And who you can show God to.

Use today to rest and reflect on the encounters you had with God.

Tomorrow is our last day of this series! Thank you for reading along for 31 days in October. I pray you and God had some meaningful moments together.

Where or how did you see God the most vividly this past week? Please share in the comments.

Coming tomorrow:

• Z – Zephyr
  How is God like a gentle breeze?

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“To love another person is to see the face of God.”
– Victor Hugo

Y—You

Who have you seen today?

• Maybe a spouse or child.
• Maybe a co-worker.
• Maybe just yourself in the mirror.

Whoever it is, or whoever it will be, this person is an important part of your spiritual path.

Because this person is the one bearing the image of God to you. And to whom you are to reflect back the image of God.

Try This

Who is the “you” in front of you today? What characteristics of God do you see in them? Can you share that with them? It might make their day!

What characteristics of God are you supposed to show to that person? Can you be intentional about displaying God to them?

Learn More

• Because God Sees No Undesirables
  Neither should we. Quotes from Philip Yancey.
• You Are God’s Good China
  Don’t stay hidden on a shelf because you think you’re too stained.
• If You Don’t See God at Work, You’re Not Looking
  Bad things do happen, but good things do, too.
• Oh, God, the Places You Show Up
  In homeless teenage boys I don’t expect to find you. Except that I do.

* * *

Who is the “you” in your life today? How have you seen God? Please share in the comments.

Coming up Monday:

• Z—Zephyr
  How is God like a gentle breeze?

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“There is no place in my soul, no corner of my character, where God is not.”
– Evelyn Underhill

Photo credit: Aidan Jones via Foter.com

X—X-ray

Likely you’ve had several x-rays in your life.  Maybe at the dentist office. Or for a weekend warrior injury. Or compliments of TSA when you’re going through security at the airport.

But what about a spiritual x-ray?

If the purpose of an x-ray is for doctors to see inside us without having to cut, isn’t this exactly what God does, too?

When Samuel was looking for Israel’s next king, the Lord told him that he looks on the inside, not the outside.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

God does the same with us.

He sees us from the inside out, without having to cut us from the outside in.

Try This

Think of the last x-ray you or someone in your family has had done. What was revealed? How did the information prove helpful later?

Now pray about how God sees you, a spiritual x-ray. What is he seeing?

• Any broken places that need to be set?
• Any weapons you’re smuggling that need to be discarded?
• Any cancerous spots previously undetected that need to be treated?

Be open to thoughts that God is exposing. Quicker healing could depend on it.

Learn More

• Look Inside Yourself for God
  You had to go further? You had to take up residence in us? by Max Lucado.
• All About X-Rays
  What, why, risks, and how to prepare for an x-ray.
• 32 Bibles Verses About Seeing Yourself

* * *

When has a physical x-ray been helpful to you? What about a spiritual x-ray? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

• Y—You
  Who is the “you” in front of you today? That’s where you’re supposed to see God.

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.