As I lay in the sunshine, its warmth radiates through my entire body. I am hot, but not in a bad way like a runner who has finished a marathon, or an upstairs room on a humid day. Instead, I am a type of hot that is enjoyable, as though a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer has been wrapped around every part of my being.
This warmth though, is even better. It permeates my entire soul.
And suddenly I’m reminded of the glory of God.
I’m reminded of the verse in Revelation 21 that talks about the new Jerusalem, and how there isn’t a need for a moon or stars because God’s glory will be bright enough to light the entire city.
And I see Him there in that moment. I feel His glory. This warmth coming from our sun, the sun that He provided, it makes me understand His glory.
This warmth I’m feeling, a comfortable type of warm, not too hot, just right. This is what God’s glory will be like when I am in His presence. My entire soul will be encapsulated with this warmth, this absolutely perfect and evenly distributed glorious warmth. This is what awaits me forever.
And while I am reflecting on this, the wind, a gentle and soothing breeze, picks up. I can hear the tree tops rustling. I can feel the coolness seep into my sweatshirt, but not enough to steal the warmth. I watch the branches moving freely, dancing amongst themselves.
This, this is the Holy Spirit at work. The wind is something we can’t see, but we can feel. We can’t control, we can’t predict, and we can’t change it. But, we see its work, we recognize its magnitude and power and we acknowledge its existence though we can not lay our eyes upon it.
This reminds me of the presence of the Holy Spirit within my warm and comfortable body. Jesus promised me this presence, and though I can’t control, predict or change it, the Spirit is at work within me, just as the wind that breaks into this moment.
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” – John 3:8
And I continue to lay peacefully, comforted and still on the ground. Nothing separates me from the dirt, moss, and earth that My Creator made with me in mind but the very clothes on my back.
Now I have my Father, and I have my Holy Spirit. Where is my Jesus to complete this Trinitarian reflection? And so I ask, “where are you in this, Jesus?” and my fingers subtly move around on the dirt ground.
The earth below my fingers moves so easily, and there are so many layers of ‘things’ that blanket the ground, each a piece of nature, a reflection of creation. Then I remember what God said in Genesis upon creation, “Let us make..” He is saying this to Jesus. To the Spirit. The Triune God was there, and is here.
Sun, wind, earth.
Father, Spirit, Son.
The creation revealing aspects of the Creator to me.
Three divine entities represented in one form, three unique aspects of my one moment.
And I am reminded of the heaviness of the ground beneath me.
It doesn’t move under my weight. It doesn’t crumble as I lay down upon it. It remains steadfast and firm. This, is my Jesus. Solid, consistent, reliable. Not going anywhere. All around me, so that when I go somewhere, there will still be ground. There will still be Jesus.
And all of this came together sparked by the Glory of the Lord. From the sun shining upon my face, like my favourite benediction,
“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”
– Numbers 6:24-26
from the wind blowing to remind me of the presence of the Spirit at work within me,
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
-John 14:16-17
to the steady earth and creation below me, reminding me of the presence of Jesus all around,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
-John 1:1-5
And I am not foolish enough to worship the creation, but I am wise enough to worship the Creator who shows Himself to the created in the creation. And oh, how my soul sings with gratitude for this very reflection…
Guarded Hearts Ministries 