Walking Through the Desert: Seen

God has been taking me on a wild adventure of self discovery this year. This journey has not been a walk in the park; but rather, a long, strenuous hike through an arid desert. 

The question that sparked this adventure began on the way to my World Race training camp back in October of 2020: What is your favorite scene in nature? Normally, I would say the night sky is my favorite view. The bright stars, the unending universe, the stories in the constellations, and the variety of planets all speak loudly of God’s power and creativity. 

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4 ESV)

However, in that van ride to training camp, I said my favorite scene was an oasis in a desert. My thoughts turned to how an oasis is a small piece of life in the middle of absolutely nothing…just as God can give us life in our driest of seasons. 

Why did this come to mind that day? Well, I believe it spoke to the journey God will lead me through over the next 11 months on the World Race if not longer. 

…a journey that began my first month in Chicaman, Guatemala.

One night, as my team was worshipping on the roof of our house, my teammate Abbey came up to me and told me she had a word from God for me. Unsure of what it meant or if it would have any significance to me, she obediently delivered the message. 

You are seen. 

I took those words and wrote the following that night.

You are seen. 

I know you by name. 

Like I know the stars. 

As numerous as the sands. 

You are seen. 

I know you by name. 

I will pull you from the depths of the valleys. 

And lead you to new heights. 

You are seen. 

I know you by name.

Don’t we all feel loved when we are seen? How much more incredible is it to be seen by the Creator of the universe, who placed all the stars I love so much in the sky and knows the exact number of grains of sand in the vast deserts? Those words were an oasis… a little piece of life in the desert I did not even realize I was wandering through until months later; but that little refreshment of truth was just what I needed. These words meant so much at the time, but even then I did not fully comprehend their depths.