In this 30 day devotional discover how Yellowstone National Park's natural phenomenon, geysers, reflect their creator.
From the largest active geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser, to the most famous geyser, Old Faithful, the author offers thought on how they might be God speaking out to those He loves on a daily basis.
This is NOT a book of theology, but more of an encouragement to sit and wait on God. It is an exploration of thoughts about geysers and their maker.
Whether you are a fan of geysers and Yellowstone National Park or looking for a devotional that is fun and thought-provoking, you've found it.
I set out to write devotionals that were thought-provoking and not on common topics. I wanted to find God's fingerprint in everything around us.
The geysers of Yellowstone National Park.
“This is impossible!” screamed Luke.
He had sat for 14 hours, enduring cold, dark, and wet conditions overnight.
What we were witnessing did feel impossible. Columns of water roaring 400ft high glowing orange from the rising sun. The sound was near deafening, like a jet engine. Our senses were overloaded, taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings that accompanied the tallest active geyser in the world.
Steamboat Geyser is a legend that causes people from all over the world to sit for hours and even days waiting for it to produce its miraculous eruption inside of Yellowstone National Park. Although Old Faithful gets people into the park, Steamboat captivates and consumed select people’s hearts and fascinations.
This monster geyser laid dormant for decades and earned the reputation of being difficult to “predict.” The t-shirt that reads, “4 Days to 50 Years” explains it perfectly. You never truly know how long you will have to wait until it erupts next.
Since March 2018, it has become more active than any time in recorded history, and the long-time visitors of Yellowstone National Park return with the hope of seeing a major eruption of Steamboat. Many of them have assumed they’d never have a chance to experience it in their lifetime and hope that they can see it erupt.
Some call it “the holy grail of geysers.” During my visit, the time between eruptions was taking place every 3-7 days.
A small group of us decided not only to sit and wait during daylight hours but to sit overnight. We didn’t miss this miracle of nature. It had been seven days since Steamboa’s last major eruption. It had already gone longer between eruptions than local experts believed it would. Those of us who decided to stay felt we had a good shot at experiencing it.
Sitting and waiting for such an extended time makes you think, ponder, doubt, and even question your life choices.
The day before our “sit,” all signs promised an eruption was coming. A few people waited overnight the previous night, but no eruption occurred. The day ended with the veteran scientists and Geyser Gazers stating that Steamboat may have changed, stalled, or been disturbed. If the geyser was disturbed, it meant that a Steamboat eruption could be delayed or go dormant. People told us we were unlikely to see anything happen overnight.
Nevertheless, sit, we did. I arrived in the afternoon with my family, and we decided we were going to stay. Two young men sat out in the cold on the boardwalk, while the rest of us left at different times after midnight to hide from the cold wind in our cars.
We all felt optimistic about our chances, but frankly, we knew it was likely that nothing would happen. There was talk of whether it was worth the wait, the risk, and the discomfort. We all agreed it was, but our sureness in our decision waned as the night went on.
With no blankets and just a light jacket, one young man, Luke, faced the elements and suffered from the cold, but he stayed resolved.
He had never seen this legendary geyser erupt even though he worked inside Yellowstone National Park. His father had brought him to the park for summer vacations for the last 13 years, and geyser gazing was his hobby and obsession inside of Yellowstone.
This geyser had bested people who tried for thirty years, but our friend was willing to give everything he could during his two days off of work to wait.
Wait, he did. When the radio squawked me awake at six in the morning, reports were flying about activity typical of an imminent Steamboat eruption. I sprinted down the trail, hoping to catch the first moments.
My heart pounded as I ran. The voices on the radio told me I wouldn’t make it for the first burst. I stopped and looked at the trees that stood between myself and Steamboat. A massive column of water climb rose above the trees and into the sky.
It brought tears to my eyes, and I resumed my sprint to the observation point directly in front of the geyser.
Luke, who had bet his sleep, comfort, and a day off on a miracle, was standing in awe.
He turned and looked at me, and we gave each other a big hug. He cried out, “I’m crying! I’m actually crying!”
We turned and looked at the sight before us, the orange sun presented a glowing wall of water that rocketed up 400ft in the air, and Luke continued to yell,
“This is impossible! How is this even possible?”
Of course, it was possible, maybe even expected. Still, often you don’t think miracles can happen to you, and you certainly don’t comprehend the magnitude of what that miracle will feel like when you’ve bet time, effort, energy, sleep, food, and comfort all for just a chance of something miraculous.
Was it hope that kept our friend out there all night? Or was it faith that the geyser would show up?
It was more than a thought, more than a prayer, and certainly more than an easy action. It was an action that caused discomfort, pain, doubt, and one that ultimately produced a result.
The Bible speaks of waiting and having faith that God will show up when we wait. Psalm 27:13-14 says,
13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
- Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)
My newfound friend waited for his miracle, waited for a geyser for fourteen hours. How many of us Christ-followers can say we’ve waited on God, honestly waited on God, exposed to the cold and nature.
I’m not talking about waiting while you lived your daily life, but a radical abandonment of everyday life in the hopes of seeing God, waiting in faith for a miracle. I know I never had.
This event has challenged what “waiting for the Lord” means to me, and I hope it will give you strength and let you take heart while you wait on the Lord in your life.
I wrote this book to pass on some thoughts I’ve had while waiting on geysers and reflecting on what I have seen. Most of these thoughts are about how God seems to be like a geyser. Most of them will not bring answers but just questions or challenges of what God is like to provoke thoughts, meditations, and reflections on His character.
This book is NOT one of theology, but encouragement to sit and wait on God. It is an exploration of thoughts about geysers and their maker.
If you feel the need to wait on God or you happen to find yourself at a geyser sitting, I hope you’ll read this book and think about God and his character while you wait for something extraordinary.