There is a cool story about a little boy who wanted to meet God. Apparently, he knew that God lived a long way away, so he packed his suitcase with cookies and some root beer and took off.

After three blocks or so, he met an old lady in the park. She was just sitting there staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He thought the old lady looked a bit hungry, so he shared some of his cookies. She gratefully accepted the gift with a warm smile.

The little boy thought her smile was so pretty and he wanted to see it again. So, he offered her some root beer too. They sat there all afternoon eating, smiling but never really engaged in conversation. No words were exchanged.

When it grew dark, the little boy realized how tired he was and got up to leave. But before he had taken too many steps, he turned around and ran back to his new friend. He gave her a big hug and she gave him one of her biggest smiles.

When the boy opened the door of his house, his mom asked how his day had gone. She asked, “What did you do today that made you so happy?”

He replied, “I had lunch with God.” And before his mom could even comment, he went on to share, “And you know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.”

A few blocks away, the old lady made her way home too. She was absolutely radiant with joy. Her son asked, “Mom, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate cookies in the park with God.  You know, he is much younger than I expected.”

“I had lunch with God in the park.” “I ate cookies with God in the park.” Now, there is some great theological insight into living.

Truth is, the Lord is ever present in our world. He is prominent in a gorgeous sunset. He is almost audible along the seashore as the waves crash and the birds squawk. He is noticed when a kind act is done. He is visible in the face of a giggling child.

He is probably waiting for us right now at a park nearby.

But too often, we rush through our days totally preoccupied with deadlines, schedules, appointments and activities. We have things to do. People to see. Jobs to accomplish. And all of these are good, necessary undertakings.

The problem is though, we often miss “bumping into” the Lord. We blast past moments where He might have wanted us to tarry. He might have a sweet older woman strategically placed on a park bench just waiting to bless us. Maybe the taxi driver has a word of encouragement ready to share. Or on the other hand, perhaps the guy or gal in the office right down the hall needs us to stop by, share a cup of tea and chat for a bit. So, as we wander through our day, let’s keep in mind the truth found in Psalm 46:1-3 and remind ourselves that “Our God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…”

The Lord has His emissaries dotted all through our lives. They stand ready to share a word from Him. They want to help lift our spirits and perhaps help carry the load for the day. Let’s slow down a bit and not miss them!