There are things in life that are super easy to recognize.
The sound of your favorite song when it comes on the radio or the smell of coffee brewing in the morning. For me, it's easy to recognize when someone just had a meal at Chipotle… a weird thing to recognize, but hey, there's no smell like Chipotle. Well, French Vanilla candles… those smell better than everything!
Some things are just familiar to us — we recognize them because we've experienced them so often. And that's a good thing… sort of.
This week, I began reading through the Book of Isaiah and didn't get very far before getting hit with a question from the LORD. See that with me in Isaiah 1:3…
"My people don't recognize my care for them."
As we continue in this series of devotionals aptly titled QUESTIONS, this was the question verse 3 confronted me with…
"MICHAEL, DO YOU RECOGNIZE MY CARE FOR YOU?"
In the big moments — 100% yes.
What are the big moments?
Things with the family, or with my GENESIS family.
I recognize answers to prayer.
I recognize an overwhelming provision for a super-practical need.
I'm thankful I can recognize those things — most of the time. But as I sat a bit longer with Isaiah 1:3, I was confronted with another question…
"MICHAEL, DO YOU RECOGNIZE MY CARE FOR YOU IN THE DAILY MOMENTS?"
Truth be told, I could not answer that with a resounding yes.
It's one thing to see God in the spectacular moments, however you might define that. But seeing God's care in the daily, "less spectacular" moments — that's another thing entirely.
For some of us, missing God in the everyday moments is because we're simply too busy. We move from one thing to the next without ever stopping long enough to notice how God moved in the moment we were just in.
For others, missing God in the everyday moments is because our focus stays fixed on everything we don't have — and that has a blinding effect on everything we do have because of God's faithfulness.
The fact that you're reading these words means you woke up, had breath in your lungs, and had the means and resources to view this devotional on your phone or laptop. That might not seem like much, because let's be honest — we've grown accustomed to waking up every day, having breath in our lungs, being able to eat, work, drive, and eat some more. But because those things happen every day, it's easy to forget that every good thing we experience is ultimately a gift from God.
So HOW do we become better at recognizing His care in all things — the big things as well as the everyday things?
Not to be overly simplistic, but a good starting point is this…
START LOOKING FOR IT.
LOOK FOR HIS CARE IN THE PEOPLE HE HAS PLACED AROUND YOU.
That friend who checks in. That spouse who knows when something is wrong. That person who prayed for you when you didn't even know you needed prayer.
LOOK FOR HIS CARE IN THE PROVISION YOU SOMETIMES TAKE FOR GRANTED.
The food on the table. The roof over your head. The strength to get through another day. The opportunities He gives you to work, serve, create, contribute, and make a difference.
LOOK FOR HIS CARE IN THE MOMENTS WHEN HE REDIRECTS YOU.
Sometimes God's care doesn't look like getting what we wanted. Sometimes His care looks like a closed door, an uncomfortable conversation, a delay, or a "no" we don't understand until much later.
AND MOST OF ALL, LOOK FOR HIS CARE IN HIS PRESENCE.
God hasn't simply given us good things — He has, but most importantly, He has given us Himself. God, by His Spirit, meets us in our joy and in our disappointment. He meets us in our celebrations as well as our struggles.
Not to be missed — Isaiah did not ask, "Does God care for me?" God's Word makes that answer clear, and in case you're wondering, it's yes. The question in Isaiah 1 is about RECOGNIZING His care.
Before you move on to whatever's next, take a moment to pause and ASK the LORD to help you see His care — because wherever you are right now, His care surrounds you.
