cheakamus lake, 28 July 2008

After all the Sunday service and gatherings my family with our friends Ryan and Andrea headed north into Beautiful BC.  In spite of our anxiety about traffic and the Pemberton Music Festival it was smooth sailing all the way to the parking lot for the trail into Cheakamus Lake in the Garibaldi Park.  We went in about 4 km before setting up our tents right on the lake in front of spectacular mountain views.  I was in awe!  Now I must confess that our plastic children’s wagon being pulled, dragged and cajoled over this trail was quite the sight!  We have been car-campers up until now, so all of our stuff is BIG, and weighs a lot!  Our guides were very kind!

In the morning as I awakened I was delighted to hear the roar of many waters–a small stream, a waterfall on the other side of the lake, and the Cheakamus River.  I was reminded of the Elder John’s description of Jesus’ voice, “His voice was like the roar of many waters.”  (Revelation 1:15)  When you are right in the midst of such a sound it is all you can hear.  It drowns out any other sound.  However it is not an overwhelming sound; rather it is comforting, soothing, peaceful–but ever-present and even commanding.  This is the voice of the Resurrected Jesus, familiar yet bigger.  John says, “I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me.”  (Revelation 1:12)  John’s experience is not something just happening in his head; rather this is an experience of Jesus’ revelation that occurs outside of him; it is real.

Day in and day out the spiritual discipline of making space to meet with Jesus means that I must clear out, turn down, and even turn off the many other voices that compete for my heart.  The moments of great clarity are not as frequent as I would like.  However, I am confident that Jesus still speaks and that He is guiding His church into fellowship with Him.