Tag Archives: hearing from God

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Finding Comfort in Nature: God’s Messages Unveiled

As I walked deeper into the woods, only God was with me. Watching the leaves fall, one particular leaf caught my eye. It descended gently from the tree summits. Swaying back and forth, with a slow tumble, a dance was taking place that happens over and over. I actually got a picture as it is dancing to the ground.

What are you telling me, God? This is a question I ask constantly. I believe our Christian journey has many mysteries, don’t you? So, to help me focus on God and His plans for me, I try to live in curiosity, watching for the mysteries that He can help me solve.

By myself, I have trouble solving even the smallest of mysteries. Mysteries like crossword puzzles, the right amount of creamer in my wife’s coffee, what time the 5:00 news comes on.

I struggle with all the mysteries of life. I best understand a spiritual mystery by listening and watching, waiting for my Lord and Savior’s explanations. I need His help.

Hearing from God? I bet you are expecting me to say, read the Bible. Hmmm, appropriate answer, but that’s a great way to VERIFY a message from God. Pray? You undoubtedly get closer to God and His Will through prayer.

Being in nature is when I personally feel I “hear and see” God. Fly-fishing, elk hunting, hiking the mountains, walking in the park — these are all excuses to get me into the woods, into nature, where I can hear from God.

What are you showing me this time? Does God speak to me every time I take a walk? Do I catch a fish on every trip? Even though the answer is no, I still want to pay close attention to everything, so I can grasp whatever is being shown to me.

This one leaf landed on the path I hike on. Three days ago, the trees you see in the picture were still holding their leaves. A carpet of thick leaves now covers the woods’ floor. This leaf reminds me of a dear friend who is being buried today. I now think of someone who is changing careers. Now I have thoughts of my children having their own children. My thoughts focus on my life plus current shifts. There are always changes, good and bad.

My mind is full of too much thinking. It’s best for me to continue walking. The steady rhythm of my stride gives a calming effect. The smell of these leaves I’m strolling through, feeling this crisp autumn air, hearing the creatures of the forest (I hear geese!) are all making my senses come alive.

Being in nature clears my mind. My brain is jumbled with numerous thoughts, but they’re intentionally thinning out to a single question. God, what are you telling me?

Is God talking to me on this trip? He is. He says, “Keep walking, son. Lots of leaves to fall on this path. Lots of changes will always take place. You just keep walking; I’ll be there with you. That will never change.”

Comfort is what I felt on this hike. Not comfort that comes from a relaxing recliner chair. Not comfort from a fireplace. But comfort felt in my soul. How? I talked with a superior being! His words were “heard” by me on this hike! All the changes and shifts in my life, yet He said I’ll be there with you.

Regardless of your current shifts, here’s a poem for you. What I felt in the woods is summed up here.

“You can shed tears that she is gone, or you can smile because she has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back, or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her, or you can be full of the love you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember her only in that she is gone, or you can cherish her memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back. Or you can do what she’d want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.” David Harkin

I walk and hike on this spiritual journey with Jesus. I love and live by the following verse: John 14:6 (VOICE) Jesus: I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

If you’re stuck behind a desk, you need to “take a hike” for better physical wellness. If you’re stuck in a rut spiritually, “take a hike” on the path called Jesus. Spiritual wellness is just as important.

I seem to get pulled into nature to hear from God. Where do you go to hear from your Heavenly Father?

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

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Wings of Eagles (part 2)

Hearing, knowing, and following God’s Will in YOUR very own life.

At the sound of my voice/whistle, this red tail hawk has flown from over 100 yards away to land on my glove. Why? Well, it was my will to have him come to me. Also, Dak, (this red tail hawk), has a will of his on. He’s free to fly away at any time. He’s free to choose what his next move will be. In this case, it was Dak’s will to come to me. Look a there! My will and Dak’s will are one and the same. But Why?

Dak and I have a relationship. We are two completely different creatures, but yet we both want the same thing. In the sport of falconry, the hawks and falcons are trained/manned to come to the falconer when called. Every time, and I mean every time, we call them they get a tidbit of food. They learn quickly to follow the falconer because he will offer a tidbit of food. Even better, the falconer will give the hawk opportunities and an advantage to catch various prey for their next meal. It may be a rabbit, squirrel, and sometimes a quail. Hey, remember Dak is a bird of prey. Can I offer him a salad? That ain’t happening! He eats meat! My vegetarian friends out there have come to understand that they can refrain from eating meat. But Dak….. well, he wants meat for breakfast, meat for dinner, and what would he want for dessert? Yep, you guessed it. Meat.

Back to this knowing my will for the hawk. I want what’s best for this hawk. After all, while he’s in my possession, he IS my bird. I want to enjoy being around Dak. I get to admire and be amazed at his hunting and flying skills. There is no set agenda, no specific plan. It’s that I want a relationship with this beautiful hawk, much like many of you have a relationship with your dog, horse, or cat. My will for this hawk is to be involved with his everyday life.

Hmmm, so what’s this hawk’s will concerning me? I can promise you the very first day we met he was nothing but scared of me. Through the training/manning sessions, after several days he didn’t understand me. But he began to trust me. Yes! The relationship has been created!

All right. Let’s get a little serious here. Is there any way that your will for what’s going on in your life can be the same as God’s Will and what he wants in your life? We talked about the thermals in the air last week. These thermals are sought after by birds of prey to carry them on their journeys in the air. God offers you “thermals” to help you on your journey as well. For you to be in God’s will you’ve got to seek Him. For your will to be His will, you’ve got to get passed the “scared” part of this encounter. Get over the lack of understanding the relationship. Allow God to give you His training/manning/guidance and direction. How does He do that? He works through you! Your prayers, your meditations, your interactions with other Christians/church are ways that He develops this spiritual relationship with you.

In this modern world, it’s truly hard to hear God’s direction for me and you. It’s not because God’s not there. It’s because of distractions. So many things both good and bad pull us away from hearing God’s Will for our lives.

Here’s a perfect example. Turn on two different radios. then add the TV. Might as well grab 3 or 4 books. Now, grab a pencil and write down what you are going to do tomorrow. Be specific. Also write down the songs you are hearing, the show your watching, and the plot of each of the books your are reading. Oh, everyone knows you’ve also got to list a few things you’ve seen today on Facebook. Complicated? Confusing? Frustrating and Irritating ? You bet. But honestly isn’t that how we live our lives every day. How can you see the “thermals” that God is providing for you when all of life’s distractions are smothering you?

How do you see and hear God’s Will in your life? A huge step is to take time out from life’s distractions. Take a break. Don’t worry. Life and it’s busyness will be waiting for you to get back. Find you a quiet place in the wilderness. My wilderness is in the mountains of Colorado or the swamps of Mississippi. Where is your wilderness? It may be in the chair your sitting in right now. Anywhere that you can dismiss the distractions in your life for just a few minutes. Your car, your back yard, wherever you can focus on your will. And God’s Will. And can the two be the same? You praying, meditating, reading scripture are all ways to focus on God and His Will for you on this Christian journey.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Proverbs 8:17 ESV

Get rid of distractions. Look for God’s Will. Then ride the “thermals”!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

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I Almost Died!

That’s the most common phrase from these youth (and adult chaperones) that was said on this adventure. What started out as a high school Senior camping trip turned into a journey where it was possible to see and hear from God Himself. And we like to have died. 😉

One instance of “I almost died” being said was when one of the adults got thrown out of the raft going down the Arkansas River in the Royal Gorge. (Huge rapids for sure!!) As cold as the water was, I’m sure his breath was taken away. I’m positive that he thought he was dying because Staci and I have been in the same position. (thrown out of the boat). The river guides were right there though. If and when things REALLY got serious, they would have taken action. (Hmmmm you know, God sees us when we think we are dying, having the worst day, thinking it’s never gonna get better? AND ……. we have to trust Him to know that if/when things really get serious He will (pull up beside us in that kayak) and protect us from harm. It’s just that when we no longer have control, we tend to start thinking the worst, right?

Another time that the phrase “I almost died” was said was when another adult leader (another adult…… I’m seeing a trend here) became “mesmerized” with the Amish horse buggy ahead of us. As he passed the horse buggy, well he kept looking back at the buggy instead of the oncoming car…… and well, this caused another adult leader to holler “We’re gonna die” as he grabbed the steering wheel to swerve back into the proper lane.

And then there was another adult leader who was concerned about actually making the 7 1/5 mile hike to Venable Falls and back. (I didn’t tell them exactly how far it was going to be cause, well, it’s a long way.) Best to just take the hike one step at a time. And woohoos to her cause she made it! She actually enjoyed it! She’s planning on coming back for a two day campout and wants to go to the summit of the mountains. But honestly those first few steps up the steep slope, she was thinking…… yep, “I’m gonna die.” But she didn’t. She actually “came Alive!”

Then the other adult lady chaperone became ill. (I’ve run out of adults now) In my opinion, the altitude was having it’s effect on her. Being in the back of the van that was dodging Amish buggies, rocks in the road, and wild animals wasn’t helping either. We stopped and got something simple to eat to ease her dizziness. It also helped that we got on a straighter road and she then sat up front. In just a short matter of time, she went from “I feel like I’m dying” to “Hey I feel SO much better. Let’s take a bunch of pictures.” She “came Alive!”

I want to thank the youth on this trip for taking care of these adults. 😉 (I’m not giving names for privacy sake on the internet) These youth………. they are great…….. they are fun to be around……. and they are my new friends! What was crystal clear from this trip is this. They belong to the family of God.

Many people were praying for this trip and it showed. I actually felt all those prayers! From the get go, this was to be a “God Thing”. Sure, we were going to have a fun time in the mountains and river. Lots to sight see. Lots of laughs and good times. But there was also this……….

I felt led to show them an experience with God. Not to just talk about Him, but to actually let everyone experience him. So, it had to be nothing about me. I am just to be the guide remember?

My goal (and my most sincerest of prayers) was to give them an opportunity to see and hear God in everything we did. Not just at devotion time, but in any and every situation. That’s when I noticed it. They were “coming Alive”.

Not sure if they ever said “I’m dying”, but they showed it. Their focus wasn’t on themselves. It was on seeing and hearing from God.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.Matthew 16:24

I saw it! It was a blessing for me to experience. It wasn’t anything super extraordinary. That’s what was so neat about the experience. Just an ordinary time for each person on the hike to have the chance to physically experience what so many of us feel we don’t get to have. I’m talking about experiencing God. Just Him. Just you.

I’ll let the youth share with you what happened. It’s not my place to share. It was spiritual, it was moving, and it was personal. Each one may have seen or heard something entirely different. I’ll give this much away. We had the Lord’s Supper on a mountain top. There was also a “foot washing” in the 38 degree rocky mountain creek of melting snow.

My new friends (and a few older ones), thanks for coming. Stay in touch. Like that wolf and mountain lion we talked about, I’ll be watching and keeping up with you guys.

This is you, and this is God!

One finger is you. One finger is God. What’s important is that the two stay close, stay tight, and stay together. How? Not anything that you can do my friend. It’s by having a living loving relationship with Jesus Christ. He gives His grace, His love, His forgiveness………His abundant Life!, Look and listen for Him in everything around you.





See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, so proud of my new friends!