His presence...

It was May 2003 when I approached a small quaint chapel in Yosemite Park, California.  This is the picture of the original chapel taken by Ansel Adams, the famous photographer who swept the hills and valley's of Yosemite with his black and white photos of a heavenly place. I think this picture was taken in the 1920's or 30's.

Driving into the park with my friend Martha was uneventful until you passed through the dark tunnel. The sun would appear through the small tiny cracks giving you a sense of the daylight ahead.

What I wasn't ready for was the breath taking beauty of God's country. And certainly I wasn't ready to feel the presence of God.

Martha and I cruised through the park, stopping and taking pictures, enjoying the blooming of the spring flowers and foliage. Stopping by every stream and listening to the quiet flow of the water over the rocks and listening to the deafening sound of the waterfalls that were just beginning to flow after the melting snow of winter disappeared.

We stopped at one of the waterfalls and walked right into a rainbow. The cool spray of the water bathed my face, and standing at the end of the rainbow felt as if there really must be a pot of gold if we looked hard enough. It was a very surreal moment and we captured the rainbow on film standing about 20 feet away. No words, we just stood there and enjoyed the miracles around us and prayed in silence and awe.

After seeing the tall redwoods we came upon a small chapel sitting back from the road. With it's steeple and stark white paint, peeling ever so slightly it made the chapel look unkempt and uninhabited. I asked Martha to stop the car and wanted to know if she wanted to enter and say a prayer. She said it didn't look open and she would wait in the car.  I walked to the front door and it was locked. I felt a calling of sorts and walked to the side door and found it was slightly ajar. I called to Martha, she said no she would wait for me, "Be careful" she said.

I opened the door or maybe it was opened for me.  Either way I was standing in the middle of this God filled country church. I felt almost paralyzed for a moment and had cause to take a very deep breath. It was one of those moments in my life I have never forgotten. I felt the essence and presence of God and I was humbled in that moment. Even now there are days I think of that moment and I am thankful that I can feel that kind of love and joy. I had always loved God, but this was one of those times I really felt God.

You don't have to be at a special place to feel God or his presence. Just get still and quiet and focus on that still small voice inside that could be God attempting to have a conversation with you. So go be a friend of God's today, He is always up and always listening.