Messages from God have been dropping into my daily routine thick and fast lately. God is from the unseen. He is Spirit and so Paul puts the evidence for this great unseen majesty quite well when he states;

Hebrews 11:1 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

I can only take pictures at places that I am at, unless I go out of my way to get something new.

It seems rather strange that I may take pictures and use these to reflect on my faith, if faith is the substance of things not seen, but God speaking in visual images is something not new and certainly not new to me.

So what about the picture?

A seagull on a railing. I went out of my way to just get some pictures. I saw this seagull at Blackpool front standing firm against the sunset and there were seagulls flying around.

It reminds me that we feel as if it is just us standing against the onslaught of the worlds cares, as if we feel that our part on our own can have no effect. The sunset surrounds the bird and many times we might feel the love of God as a warm feeling in our lives but to many this is all there is – a warm feeling. How wrong they can be, as if the creator of the universe was just a warm feeling. I feel He didn’t want to be just the power that turns up to scare and astound people but He wanted to actually be part of our lives.

But as I got closer I took one more picture of the seagull before it flew off. On looking at my pictures I discovered something amazing, something I hadn’t seen.

As I looked to take the picture, the sunset glaring on the camera lens, a bird must have flown past and been in perfect alignment with the other Gull. What are the chances of a quick run to Blackpool seafront in a break from playing my trumpet in the tower circus band?

Many times I realise that we do not perceive the work of God. I always think of the passage in Genesis that talks about God’s Spirit;

Genesis 1:2

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

When we feel there is no direction, our life is void, then God steps in, the Spirit as the comforter but He is also a God of action and He moves many times without us perceiving Him. Is it time for us to open our senses to the work of the Lord in our and others lives and to step out in faith to take a risk for God.

Dear Lord, you are our only true light and direction
but many times we do not perceive your work,
many times we complain against you
not knowing the marvellous and wondrous work you have already began.
Forgive our unbelief and grow our faith and above all help us all to perceive your marvellous Word so that we can walk like your Son Jesus with the power and true presence of the Holy Spirit.

Amen