If you have ever wondered, “Is God working in our world today?” You are not alone. It is easy for us to lose sight of God’s working all around us. Yes, we can see Him in the beauty of Creation. King David understood, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.“ God is also working in the world today. Jesus reminds us, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” But you may be thinking, I am not seeing God working in my world… The reality may be you are not looking for evidence of God’s work in the lives of those around you.
Several years ago, Caryl and I were spending some time doing the Highway 101 loop. It is a beautiful loop in the Washington state Olympic Peninsula that circles the Olympic mountains. Driving through the town of Sequim, behind a motor-home, I noticed something out of the ordinary. It was a weird anomaly that did not make sense. What I saw was a bubble on the front tire of the motor-home that looked like half a basketball pushing out the side. Alerting the driver, we pulled over to help. Later, when we got back on the road Caryl asked me, “how in the world did you see that?” I had simply noticed something that did not look right. It was only later, after a closer inspection of the motor-home the problem was revealed. Many times, we miss seeing God’s working because we are not aware of the signs. My recent reading in the Gospel of Luke reminded me of the importance of being aware of God’s working so I can join Him in His work.
I was struck by one of Jesus’ instructions to the 72 disciples that He sent out in preparation for His future ministry. Jesus encouraged His disciples to go to where God was working. When they were not received he told them, “But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you.’” (Luke 10:10–11a). He is simply instructing them to move on to where God is working.
Jesus’ instruction was for them to be aware of God’s working in the lives of those around them. We know the Holy Spirit is working in our world today. “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;” (John 16:8–9).
One of the indicators of God’s working in the life of another is an interest in spiritual things. It could be a statement of thinking about going to church or a question about the Bible. It could be curiosity in reading the Bible or even interest in Biblical media or end times. Or any other numerous indicators that reveal a desire to know more about spiritual things.
Just like the anomaly with the motor-home, you will be surprised how much easier it is to see the Lord’s working in the life of another once we are attuned to how the Holy Spirit works. These are our invitations to join in where God is already working in the lives of those around us!
-Pastor Joe Parkinson