I was sitting on the front porch this morning enjoying a cup of coffee when I noticed a mud dauber flying around. It landed and crawled behind the siding of our house, and after a little while, came back out. As it flew past me, I felt a sudden “plop” on my leg. I looked down to discover what appeared to be a small wet mud ball. I had seen plenty of mud dauber nests throughout my life, but in that moment, I realized I had never actually witnessed one carrying the mud to create its nest. I had only seen them coming in and out of completed or partially completed nests.
Wondering at God’s creation and marvelous design, my thoughts reflected on God and what it’s like for us to have faith. So many times, we pray and hope for that “thing” that we request. It could be healing, a financial situation, or a relationship we long to reconcile. It could even be the salvation of a loved one. In all these things, the answer is a process. While we often marvel at the outcome (the answered prayer), how often do we marvel at the actual process?
With this little mud dauber, all I see is him flying around, landing, and going behind the siding. I don’t know what he’s doing back there, but my assumption, based on 44 years of observation of the natural world is that he is building his little nest. But the truth is, without being able to actually see what he’s doing, I can only have “faith” that this is what he’s doing.
Today, however, I sat still long enough to personally witness the evidence of his activity: the dropped mud ball on my lap. I sat still a while longer, waiting patiently, and after about 30 minutes or so he returned with a fresh wet mud ball in his mouth. I can never recall ever seeing this in my entire life. I had never sat still in observation long enough to witness it.
How often do we do that with God? We pray and look for the outward finished “thing” that we hope for, sometimes getting discouraged as we wait. Let’s instead make it a point to stop and listen. Let’s make it a point to stop and observe. In the waiting and process there is beauty and wonder, and sometimes we will miss it if we fix our eyes only on the “thing” we pray for. Instead, let us keep our eyes on Father God and what he is doing. Much, if not most, of the wonder and awe is in the process; the actual way in which he brings people and situations together in order to answer our prayers.
Let us pray….
Dear, Lord, no matter what is going on around us, help us to keep our eyes fixed on you. Help us to take time each and every day to sit in your presence so that you can refresh, renew, and strengthen us as we wait patiently in faith with hope for that which we cannot see.
