We all find ourselves feeling closer to God in different ways…for you it might be reading a spiritual book on His love for us, for others it is worship music and for some it is fellowship at church…it varies from person to person and there is no right or wrong way to experience this. For me however, I feel closest to Him when I am traveling or on an adventure. It doesn’t have to be to a far away exotic place…it can be a simple hike to experience a gorgeous view near my home, it can be going to camp and witnessing the tranquility of being disconnected from technology and being one with nature.
I recently had the opportunity to travel abroad and the experience was life changing. Not only due to witnessing other cultures or ways of life…but because I have experienced the vastness of this earth…. the earth that He created.
While visiting Italy I was able to witness breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, in Switzerland, the Swiss Alps were like nothing I could have ever dreamed and the rolling hills and lush green forests of Ireland were magical. Each country, each town and each view had something about it that told me God was present.
Sitting in silence, staring out over a spectacular view, it is in these moments that I know God is near and I feel the Holy Spirit within me. A light breeze might come and toss my hair across my face…bringing with it the smell of the sea below. These are the moments when I am reminded that we serve an amazing God. That on this earth he has planted small glimpses as to what his kingdom, Heaven, will look like. We have a slice of the pie right here among us and we rarely see it as so. We rarely look out over a breathtaking view and think to ourselves “God made this.”
I feel closest to God when I see these bits of heaven. Not even the work of Leonardo D’ Vinci, Michelangelo, or Raphael within the Sistine Chapel, in all its glory, can outshine the beauty of God’s masterpiece. God made Heaven and Earth…and every morning and every evening…as the sun rises or sets…we are able to witness the hand of God and His paintbrush as it streaks colors of the most vibrant hues across the skies.
These are the moments I feel closest to God.
When do you feel the closest to God? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
