More from Geo PicKell

One of the unique things that happens when you not only read The Upper Room meditations but write them as well, is that you are drawn deeper into God’s word. You start to look for God’s presence in every situation. And when God does even the smallest thing—you notice. I’d like to share a couple examples of this, starting with the first meditation I wrote several years ago.

At the time, I was dealing with the aftermath of a detached retina. My eyesight was already very limited prior to the detachment, and the final outcome for my vision was unknown. Reading was difficult—even when using a large print Bible. And in order to write—I had to use an 18-point font. I was frustrated with my situation, but that didn’t stop God from working on my heart. Over time, I began to realize that since I had to be so close to things in order to see them, I was actually noticing a lot of nuances that I’d overlooked before. I wrote a meditation based on having to get close to God in order to really see him, and ever since then—although my eyesight has improved—I have thankfully retained the tendency to search deeper for God, and also in places where before, I might have never bothered to look.

Another time when a meditation drew me closer to God and made me more aware of God’s presence was when I compared the long North Dakota winters to Noah’s long stay on the ark. I used Genesis 8:1—but God remembered Noah—to show that even after a year of being on the water, God hadn’t forgotten about Noah. I hadn’t thought about it much before writing the piece, but afterwards, I began to see evidence of God not forgetting about me, over and over. One situation that makes me laugh just to think about it happened after my beloved cat passed away and my husband told me I couldn’t have another one. Not willing to start a fight, I didn’t argue, but after a few months had gone by, God remembered me, and a good friend asked me to cat-sit for her. That job has now gone on for two months and seems to be a win-win situation for both myself and my husband. There have been other instances, too, since the cat scenario, and I am grateful for each time God remembers me.

Although dealing with bad eyesight and the loss of a pet weren’t the only situations God has proved to be faithful during the past few years, I must say that being able to write about them and share them with others has been a blessing. Each time I find a nugget of scripture that makes me dig deeper, I pray that God will help me learn from it, open my eyes to see how God is using it to reshape my own heart, and then use it to bless others.