We went on a whale watch yesterday. Breathtaking and magnificent. We planted ourselves at the bow of the ship and prepared for the hour and a half journey into the wide-open ocean. As Boston harbor began to fade away I rested against the railing intent on being the first to catch a glimpse of a resplendent humpback whale. With the wind whipping around the ship, the sun shining, and the water glistening I closed my eyes and felt the moment, committing it forever to memory. I absolutely love being on the ocean. I love the smells and the openness and how small it makes me feel. I love the calm of it and the immense power that it holds. We sailed into the horizon for almost two hours. I absorbed every moment. Constantly scanning the waves.
Looking intently for whales. A weird ripple brought a surge of excitement only to be let down. It was only a wave. Or a fish. Or a bird. I never took my eyes off the water. Completely absorbed with the desire to see a fin or a tail breaking through the surface. As I scanned the waves a verse started floating through my thoughts. “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:25) It surprised me. How amazing that God would bring this verse to mind. What a perfect reflection. A visual that broke through my clouded thoughts. What if I sought God as hard as I was searching for whales? What if I looked so intently into His Word; His Law? This verse is an amazing promise.
The man who looks so intently into this freeing law and puts it into practice will be BLESSED! Blessed in what he does. And this is not just a one-time thing. I can’t just pick up my bible and flip a few pages. I have to look intently. And I have to continue looking intently. Daily. Hourly. Scour the pages for what God is teaching me and showing me. And as I do that, I know that I will begin drawing nearer to Him. I will begin reflecting His essence and blessings will begin to break the surface. How simple a command but so hard to carry out. How amazing my God is, all this tumbling through my brain as a result of looking for whales.
