INTRO–‘Does God Eat Your Cookies?’ Read Psalm 139:7-10

As a kid, did you ever leave a plate of cookies for Santa Claus and in the morning they were gone? In seeing they were gone you probably also had this great revelation that Santa had actually been right there in your living room! What a great feeling, Santa actually ate your cookies. Sometimes it seems people approach God in the same way, hoping and praying that God is real and that God might once and a while come to visit, even if just briefly. The good news is that God is not only very real, but actually with you all the time in every place you go. There is no place you can go and be out of the presence of God. Read Acts 17:24-28.

• How would you describe your relationship with God? How do you see God on a daily basis?


• Describe a God encounter you had recently? Do you have them very often?


• How intimate do you think you can be with Almighty God? Do these thoughts help or hinder you in seeking a closer relationship with God?

STEP 1–‘Listen for the Whispers of God’Read I Kings 19:11-13

If God is real and so close then why do most people only have a few moments in life when they can say they actually had a genuine God encounter? The problem is that most people think God is only involved in the really big stuff or through something that is completely out of the ordinary. However, as illustrated to the prophet Elijah, God is most often found in the silence and whispers of life and in the ordinarily extraordinary encounters you see everyday but miss as God’s presence. For instance do you see and experience the presence of God during a sunrise or sunset, or while taking in a spring storm or winter wonderland, or watching flowers bloom or leaves turning brilliant colors in the fall? Through all of creation God is whispering your name but you probably miss it because of other distracting noise. Read Psalm 19:1-3.

• Do you normally put yourself in a place to hear God’s whispers? Explain.


• How often do you experience God through God’s creation? Where do you see God the most?

STEP 2–‘Look in the Love Surrounding You’Read I John 4:12

The second place to look for God’s presence is in the love you experience every day. Whether its love for a spouse or friend, or in the love that a parent has for their child, love is the place you will find God. Love is a powerful force that controls so much of your life and without God it would not only cease of meaning but also seem so unnecessary. Love not only gives you purpose in life, but it gives you the desire to care, encourage, help, and inspire others around you. If you want to encounter God, look no further than at the people you love most.

• Have you ever experienced the love of God through the love of another person? Explain.


• How do you experience God’s love on a daily basis? How does loving others help you experience God?

STEP 3–‘Join What God is already doing’

Imagine how different your life would be if instead of asking for God to show up, you consistently tried to discover how God is already working in and around your life. God does not need to show up because God is already here. And since God is already at work, your task should be to continually discover what God is doing so that you can join in bringing the good news of God to those around you. No matter what happens, God will use any and every situation to bring about what is best for you and for those you love and/or serve.

• Where do you see God at work right now? Have you signed on to help?


• Where do you think God is already working in your life without you knowing it?


• Do you slow down enough to hear God? What commitment will you make to do that more often?