On my recent vacation, I heard from God in a way I never expected. It almost made me wonder if I were a little nuts. But, the truth is that God is speaking to me every day about every part of my life. He longs to be intimate with me and if that means struggling with me over trying to keep my kids safe, then He is willing to do that too.

While at the beach in Florida, I couldn't help but remember last years headlines about shark attacks. I knew that there was no way to keep my kids out of the water, they were eager to boogie board and body surf in the waves. I was sitting down to have devotions and wrote about my anxiety for their safety in my journal. As I turned to Genesis 1, the place that I was reading, I thought in my head “There's no way God can speak to me about fear of sharks in this chapter.” I knew that chapter very well. I had dissected it in my book Then God Created Woman. I only got past the first verse before I had to chuckle at the way God spoke. Genesis 2:2 says; “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

What I heard God say to me, was; “Don't be afraid, I will be closer to your children than you could ever imagine being!” And He was, although I had to remind myself that over and over again, as I watched. God was hovering over those waters. He was also hovering over those waters when the three of us were in a canoe and paddled about 50 feet away from an alligator. The alligator wasn't a big one, and I think he was more afraid of us than we were of him. Of course I had that thought after we were back on the beach and he somewhere further away.

The Spirit of God hovers over the waters. I love those combination of words. There is nothing more you need when you are afraid, than to know that God is hovering. This picture of God hovering is a picture that reveals His intimacy with creation. Before He ever said “Let there be light,” He was close, He was nearby.

Do you sense God's hovering over you? My son has watched enough science fiction that He wants to be the first owner of a hoverboard. Actually, I did see a prototype of one that costs thousands of dollars, looks like a huge treadmill and only hovers about four to six inches off the ground. Picturing God hovering, is a picture of Him not grasping or clinging to us. It's a picture of closeness with complete freedom. He doesn't take away our freedom, likewise, He is always free. I'm sure there are many wonderful places that God could hover, if He so desired. And, if they aren't created yet, He could create them. But, He would rather hover here, over this universe, over you, and me.

Take some time today to read Genesis 1:2 and picture the Spirit of God hovering over the surface of the deep waters before He created the place we now live. Then picture God hovering over you. Consider what He wants to create in you. Think about His love and His plans for you. Submit yourself into His care. Delight in the fact that you have a God who hovers.