Eden Moments

I had gone out to pray. The wind whipped through my hair as I stood facing the rolling waters of the Gulf of Mexico. An endless horizon that spoke of twilight, stretched before me. Somewhere behind me a lone gull called. I felt the sand in my toes and the surf on my feet while I danced in the water waiting to hear God’s voice. The air was perfumed with the fragrance of salt. The Lord is like these mighty rushing waters echoed in my mind. At that moment I felt the Lord’s presence more keenly than I ever had at any other time in my life. For just a moment, it was as though time stood still and I was embraced in the perfect peace and presence of God.

When Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble,” he wasn’t joking. I’ve watched loved ones throw their lives out the window. I’ve pitched a few pieces of mine too, only to scurry down the stairs after them, picking up the shards. I’ve lived through painful situations at church and in my personal relationships. I’ve watched loved ones loose people dear to them years before they should have. And I’ve had more than one friend look me in the eye and ask through tears, “Why? Why did God let this happen?”

Life is painful. Sometimes you can make sense of things, other times not. It’s the Eden Moments that keep me going when I’m down to my last ounce of hope.

“What’s an Eden Moment?” you might wonder. An Eden Moment is a precious glimpse at perfection. It’s hard to describe because each glimpse is unique. But Eden Moments have one thing in common: You feel suspended out of time, if only for a moment, embraced in the perfect presence of the Great I AM. An Eden Moment is the Ecclesiastes 3:11 taste of eternity which God has set in our hearts along with the time and season for all things.

Eden Moments bear testimony to love, grace and the truth that our hope of life eternal is still a reality, even in this sin scarred world where thorns, thistles and trouble cloud the path leading in eternity’s direction. They are a taste of eternity to come. These are moments that escape the ache of sin and great vexation of the soul. We get a taste of what Adam and Eve must have left behind. They are places in time, where time stands still and you know without a doubt, you communed face to face with the Sovereign of the Universe and felt his all encompassing presence. It’s a kiss from God himself.

The last few years of my life seem like they’ve been especially trying, late this summer in particular. Ultimately I know God is sovereign. He’s growing me spiritually to trust him more and it's all going to be OK in the end. But being human, I've been up & down and back & forth - trusting one minute and being fretful the next. My four children often pick up on my distress. I don’t hide things well. They know and feel the tension. They don't talk about the confusion they feel, they act it out.

Recently I needed a break from my beloved yet stressed out kids. I went grocery shopping, alone. I cranked up our Revival in Belfast CD and opened all the windows as I sped up the interstate. With the wind blowing my hair, there was freedom in it. My 15 minute trip ended all too quickly.

For it's only in Your will that I am free… Rang in my ears as I sat in 6 o’clock, downtown, New England traffic waiting to turn into the grocery store parking lot. For just a moment, I felt removed from time. It was surreal, like one of those fuzzy, slow motion, black and white films you see played in movies reminiscing about someone’s past. I heard the thumping and bumping bass of some guy’s popular music. I heard people laughing in a nearby car. I watched the sights and sounds and was amazed that God took in all of it. Every ounce, every tear, every worry, every laugh, every thump, bump and bass note. There I was sitting in the midst of a miracle, completely awed. Eden had struck again.

When I went out that evening, God knew I was looking for him. I longed for his presence. He visits me everyday and sees the laughter of my children and knows my fears. But sometimes I don’t see him, even though I’ve opened my Bible and said my prayers. I was discouraged, but hopeful that He would resolve our situation. He watched that very afternoon as I calmly explained for the fifth (fiftieth?) time that week why it is improper to get angry at a sibling because you’re upset about something else. I read Scripture. I trust his word, but I was beginning to tire of the battle. He brought me out and showed me he has all my troubles, and so many more, all under control.

Sometimes I would love to download Eden Moments off the internet so I could reply them like old movies. They don’t work that way though. God meets us during different times, needs and seasons. If we seek after them, they often evade us because we’re looking for a work of God and not God himself. We can’t make them happen. We can’t seek them. We can only let God meet us as we seek HIM.

I still read my Bible and stand on the promises. I still stand strong in faith one moment, and waver the next. I still pray and watch the answers to my prayers unfold. I seek to know the truth in all situations no matter how good opinion looks. But I know when I’m down to my last ounce of hope, God will show up and speak to me personally like he did on that night at the coast several years ago or in the van a few weeks ago. I hold those perfect moments as proof he is teaching me what I believe is true. And if an Eden Moment is a taste of eternity, I eagerly await to live the real thing.

Note Song Lyrics: Jesus, All for Jesus by Robin Mark -- www.RobinMark.com

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