Look up! Especially in Kansas, that’s good advice. If you live here long enough you’ll come to know the value of keeping at least one eye on the skies during certain times of the year. And that’s a phenomenon pretty unique to our part of the country.
On average, the U.S. sees 1,000 tornadoes every year. And no spot in the U.S. is hit harder with more frequency than Tornado Alley – that’s us. The rest of the WORLD sees, on average, less than 200 tornadoes per year.
Aren’t we special?
But this year, which is not a typical year by any measurement, has given us even more reasons to look to the sky. Inexplicably, we had sand from the Sahara Desert in Africa blow our way. In March a previously undiscovered comet popped up out of nowhere, and this week we’ll have a chance to see it! Two weeks ago the forecast in Southwest Kansas predicted a sunny day – then a tornado showed up.
You never know what you’re going to get when you look to the Kansas skies, but it’s always worth a look.
In the same way, I think it’s important for us to turn our attention toward God. You never know what He’s going to have for you. There may be a word of encouragement; maybe a challenge or correction; perhaps even discipline at times. Or there may just be an opportunity waiting. But we’ll never see it or receive it if we’re not looking for it.
My challenge this past Sunday was for us to listen for God’s voice and hear the interceding prayers of the Holy Spirit – those wordless groans we read about in Romans 8. So… let’s do it! Just as the beautiful rising sun is best seen in clear skies, perhaps we need to knock some clouds out of our own lives to better allow the sunlight to shine.
What does God have for you this week? We can’t hear His Word if we’re not listening for it. Only you know what type of noise might be in your way. This week I’d like us to be intentional about this.
The one who enters through the gate in the shepherd of the sheep. The guard at the gate opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Whenever he has gathered all of his sheep, he goes before them and they follow him, because they know his voice.” John 10:2-4 (CEB)
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Pastor Billy