I Had Heard But Now I Have Seen Moose are Real and Jesus Is Alive

Back in July of 2007, my family and I went on a vacation up into Montana and Canada.  We visited Glacier National Park in Montana and Waterton Park in Canada.  During our adventure, I wanted to see a real live moose in the wild.  I was so desperate to see a moose, I was even hallucinating.  If a tree branch looked like a moose antler, I got excited.  If I saw a rock shaped like a moose silhouette, I got excited.  If I heard a crunch that sounded like a moose foot, I got excited.  Needless to say, I got excited a lot.  The more excited I experienced the more disappointed I became.  Every moment of excitement was always a huge disappointment.

While we were in Waterton National Park, Canada, Carri found a brochure for a boat ride that would take us to the backcountry of Glacier National Park in the USA.  In big bold letters is said "See the Moose."  My excitement was exponential! This had to be a sure thing.  We loaded the kids up and headed for the boat dock.  The ship took us down Waterton Lake and landed us on the shores of the backcountry.  We were in the heart of  "Moose Country."

Once we got off the ship, we found a park ranger and asked the golden question, "Where do we need to go to see the moose?"  He replied, well we have not seen much of the moose lately, but your best chance is to hike this trail…..and you might be fortunate enough to see a moose or two.  My first thought, "You have got to be kidding me, not seen much of the moose lately.  Just my luck." 

Determined to find a moose, we set out on the adventure.  Just like before…oh moose antler, not, it was just a stupid branch.  Oh moose, not, it was just a stupid silhouette.  Oh, wow moose noise, not, it was  just a stupid squirrel.  Let me be honest, in my mind I was acting like a child.  I was thinking, "There is no such thing as a moose, they don't exist.  Moose are not real.  Ok God if moose are real, then show me one.  Ok God if you are real show me a moose."  Ok maybe I exaggerated my thoughts a little bit, but I really was being doubtful about seeing a moose.  And yes I really did use the God show me card. 

After about 9968756893472 miles of hiking, my son said "Dad I see a moose!"  My immediate response "No you don't, moose are not real."  "Yes dad, I see a moose for real."  "Brenton, you better not be messing with me, I'm not in the mood."  "Dad! Look in the lake, there is a moose, for real."  I looked down the trail into the lake and like glory rays of light beams, there stood a moose. 

We made it to the lakeshore and there before us was not just one moose, but fourteen.  Yes, there were fourteen moose scattered in the lake and on its shores.  At first, I could hardly believe my eyes.  I had heard all about the moose and how majestic they are, but now I was seeing them with my own eyes.  Everything I had heard about moose in the wild was so minimal and paled in comparison to seeing them in real life.  I was finally a believer, moose are real.  My childish doubts from that point on were left behind.  I had heard of moose before, but this time my eyes had seen them. 

Here is the first moose we saw

Isn't God the same way for many of us?  Sure, we have heard of God, but since we do not think we have seen him, we doubt He exists.  Maybe we are looking for Him in our own illusions of what we think God should look like.  You know, the tree branch shaped like a moose antler, or the rock silhouette, or even that so called voice that ends up being a lie.  Here is the truth, you have to put all your preconceived ideas aside about what you expect God to look like and just ask Him to show you who He is.  You will see Him, even in the storms of life. 

There was a time in my life when I doubted God existed.  Sure, I looked for Him, but in all the wrong places.  I expected God to be what I wanted Him to be, I thought God was suppose to look like what I thought He should look like. I never saw God as long as my life and eyes were covered in sin and lies.  It wasn’t until I went to where God was that I finally saw Him for the first time.  Where you ask? At the foot of the cross.  When I saw myself for the unredeemed sinner that I was, I looked up onto the cross. There I saw my sins being redeemed by the one true God who loved me in spite of my doubts and failures.    He was calling my name.  There is where I heard His voice, saw His face, and that is where I became a believer in His great name. 

Oh yea, my ears had heard a thousand times before, but this time my eyes had seen.  Now that I know my redeemer lives, I can see his face every day.  I know now what He looks like, what He sounds like, and I know without a doubt the things He does.  I am a believer not because Jesus Christ died, but because He is alive.  I live, not because of what I do, but because He is alive within me.  Jesus is alive!

Job was such a witness to this fact.  Job lost everything, literally everything.  He ended up living in a trash dump covered in sores.  Job refused to quit looking quit looking for God.  He knew God was real and he was going to find Him.  In the end, God rewarded Job's faithfulness.  One of Jobs final words was this, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."

And here is another moose.  

Job 42:5

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!