“Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it!” – Genesis 28:16

If God wants to have ongoing, interactive conversation with us, why not pick up a cosmic telephone, tap into our ear canal or brain, and speak loudly and unmistakably in a way that cannot be ignored?

In a word, humility.

In fact, the very idea of a signal being forced into our brain feels less like the Kingdom come and more like the robot apocalypse.

God is love, and love does not coerce. God has no compulsive need to be seen or heard. Instead, God wants to be noticed.

You see this pattern in Scripture. There’s Elijah in the cave, who notices the quiet whisper. There’s Moses in the wilderness, who notices the burning bush. And there are the disciples in the boat, who notice Jesus walking on the water. Curiously, Mark’s Gospel tells us, Jesus ​“intended to pass them by.” Only when they cry out does Jesus come to them.

Those are dramatic, life-changing examples. But most of the time, God shows up in day to day life in ways that we miss entirely if we don’t pause and notice.

That’s one thing I picked up from the spiritual direction webinar on Tuesday. A spiritual director — and this could be said of a spiritual friend who listens deeply — helps you see where God is at work.

Jan Johnson said her directees often hear God and don’t know it. She asks a few questions. They share. She smiles and gently invites them to notice, ​“that sounds like the Spirit to me.”

If you missed the webinar, the recording and an extensive list of resources, like where to find a spiritual director or train to become one, is available here.

May you notice God in unexpected places this weekend and coming week.