A Sign in the Deepest Depths

It doesn't matter what time we go to bed, my heart wakes up at sunrise from the ocean floor...this morning show lit up 360 degrees of exuberant exhilarating expanse. I am the wild one with a ponytail and iPod walking the shoreline singing and praising and listening and praying. I am stepping in ecstasy over here!

I read Isaiah 7 before I set foot on the multitude of thoughts---all those grains of sand. King Ahaz faced a battle he couldn't win in Isaiah 7. Ever feel that way? I'm in one! "The hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest." The LORD sent a message to Isaiah and to me and to you: "Be careful, keep calm, and don't be afraid." Do not lose heart because of the anger, the control that you see. Again, the LORD said: "Ask your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." 7:11

Okay, I'm not one to ask for "signs." My theology doesn't hold room for experiential stuff!!! But, this morning, my God told me to ask for a sign and so I did and set out for my sunrise saunter along the sandy shores right next to the deepest depths. I didn't demand a sign, just hoped someone would hand me about $1,000 and say "God wants you to move to Austin."

Ten minutes into my walk, I was overwhelmed with praise to God and so wanted to lift up my hands to the waiting skies. There were a couple of people lurking around so I found a pier and hid behind a post and my hands shot straight to the skies. Couldn't contain myself. All of a sudden there is a shout behind me: "That is a moment for me with God!!!" Startled, I turned around to see a young woman with an ethereal countenance. Now, I'm not saying she was an angel but she became like an angel to me as we encountered and embraced each other.

It was her birthday and she came to the beach looking for God. She shared her story...she was seeking and wanted to know if His Word was really real. She knew it but yet she needed to know it again. I shared my own story with her to which she replied. "I think you need to MOVE ON to Austin." The words rolled around her tongue a few times: move on, move on, move on. Sounds like it is time. She had no idea that she was the "sign" I had just prayed for.

I shared with her a verse that God put in my mind---it was Psalm 32:5. And, she began to weep---you know, only God can do that. Over 3,000 verses and I don't have a clue what she needed. God did. I left her with the word that she will find Him for she is seeking Him.

As I walked away, I asked God if this was a sign for me. It was deep encouragement that I had been taking some right turns in life. I'm able to let things go a little easier in my life than before. A shift has occurred.

I only walked about 5 minutes and decided to turn back. When I arrived at the pier hoping to wave at my new friend, there was no one there. Did I imagine that conversation? No, it was very real. Did she abandon her plan to spend the day with God? Maybe so. I'll never know. But I do know this...while I didn't demand a sign, a good God gave me deep encouragement that even this "curved in" soul is on such a better path with right turns more than ever before. Can't wait to walk tomorrow's sunrise next to the deepest depths.