Why and How to Meet God in the Great Outdoors
There is an entire floor of high school classrooms in my school with no windows. Many students spend the majority of the day in windowless rooms, and several of my colleagues spend all day every day without a view of the outdoors. My classroom happens to be up on the ground floor, on the other hand, and I am blessed with amazing windows to look out during the day. During the autumn months, the plethora of trees right outside my classroom paint the most incredible scene.
Because of another school-related project that involved researching connections between nature and students’ social-emotional health, I’ve spent considerable time lately thinking about how healthy and refreshing it is to spend minutes and hours outdoors. No matter what the weather! Do you spend much time outside?
The book of Acts tells the story of the birth of the early church. In chapter 16, Paul finds himself in Macedonia after seeing a vision of a man begging him to come to Macedonia and to “help us” (Acts 16:9-10). After concluding that it was God calling him and his companions to head to Macedonia and preach the Gospel, Paul set out “at once.” After they arrived, Paul said:
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. -Acts 16:13
When I read this verse, my eyebrows crinkled up a bit. They expected to find a place of prayer out by the river? Why? I haven’t done extensive research on this question, but the footnote in my Bible says, “There were so few Jews in Philippi that there was no synagogue (10 married men were required), so the Jews who were there met for prayer along the banks of the Gangites River. It was customary for such places of prayer to be located outdoors near running water.”
Isn’t that the coolest thing ever? It got me thinking… Could I intentionally spend more time outdoors? How might that bring me closer to God? When we’re directly surrounded by God’s natural creation, surely it’s easier for us to feel His presence and hear His voice, right? Here are some things I want to try, and you could, too:
- Take a walk outside regularly without listening to any music, audiobooks or podcasts…. Keep your ears free and open to hear God speak to you. Ask Him to come near and make His will known as your ears are tuned in to hear His voice.
- Read and meditate on Scripture verses about nature! Here are a few to get you started.
- Find a quiet, peaceful place to just sit still for a while in nature. …whether that’s up on a hilltop, by a lake, on the beach, in a nearby park, or just on the step outside your back door. Sit, quiet yourself and listen for the birds singing. Perk your ears to hear the trees rustling in the wind or the water moving in waves or rushing downstream. Whatever sounds you hear nature making, remind yourself that God created nature by the sound of His voice! Think about His power, authority, creativity and beauty.
- Start a routine of stepping outside your workplace/home/school for a five-minute breath of fresh air during lunch each day! Walk away from your work, your screens and your obligations. Look up to the sky, and thank God for His incredible creation.
- Embrace Acts 16:13, and find some water in your area to go sit by while you pray! Unless you live within walking distance of a body of water, that’s probably not possible every day, of course, but I bet you could do it every so often. …or even if it’s just this one time. Listen to the sound of the water, think about the early early Christians who used to pray near running water, and remind yourself that you’re part of the exact same church—even all of these years later.
- Have fellowship in the great outdoors! Meet a friend or neighbor for a walk through the neighborhood. Gather your small group or family around a fire pit some evening. Meet somebody for lunch at a cafe with outdoor seating. Mixing together fellowship and fresh outdoor air must be a recipe for success, right? I’ve had so many beautiful conversations sitting around the fire with some precious Bible study girlfriends, and I firmly believe that we linger longer and discuss deeper when we’re outside by the fire pit. It’s simply magical.
Ultimately, spending time in nature can help us feel closer to God, and it should move us to praise Him! Psalm 148 says that not only should we humans praise God, but the sun, moon, shining stars, highest heavens, waters above the skies, sea creatures, ocean depths, lightning, hail, snow, clouds, stormy winds, mountains, hills, fruit trees, cedars, wild animals, cattle, small creatures and flying birds praise Him, too. We can join together in chorus! Let’s embrace the creation God so carefully and intentionally blessed us with. Don’t let yourself stay holed up in temperature controlled rooms. Get outside! While you’re out there, breathe in the fresh air, and breathe out praise and worship to the God of Heaven and earth.
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy. -Psalm 96:11-12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:12