I have been thinking a lot this weekend about the whole concept of “practicing God’s presence” which I first posted about here. I have been feeling continued and increased conviction to grow in this area, in fact making it part of my goals for the next month.As I read TW chapter 15 on Saturday, I felt God drawing my attention to these words:
“What a blessing it is to be so loved by one who wants to be with us, even in the most mundane aspects of our lives. When we are faced with a crisis at work, we turn to Him. When a loved one falls ill, we turn to Him. When we don’t know what to do next, we turn to Him. But how does God fit into our playtime? Does He accompany us on camping trips? Does He join us when we have lunch with our friends? What about quiet moments when we are driving? When we take the children to the park? When we relax in the bathtub with a good book? Psalm 139 assures us that the Lord is with us no matter where we are. He wants us to make Him an intentional part of each moment of our lives through prayer.” TW pg 152
This morning as I was doing my devotions and studying the friendship and bond of love that David and Jonathan shared, I felt challenged to really focus and grow in my love and devotion for God. I desire to be in communion with Him every single moment of the day. I desire for Him to be part of every thread of the fabric of my life. I desire to see life through His eyes, live through His strength, be guided through life according to His purposes and vision. I want to grasp how amazing His love is….for GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4:16). How amazing is that!!!! It’s mind-boggling! He IS the very characteristic of LOVE. I want to learn from God, love Him more deeply and experience real authentic intimacy. I want nothing else to master me, nothing else to compete for my attention to Him.
Yet so often I find that life just seems to get busy, even the little mundane things take away my focus from Him. It’s like a web that I just get stuck in and in the process I can go an entire day without even really inviting Him into each moment and end up failing to give Him due attention and devotion.
I really desire to practice His presence and be free of this web of busyness. What a blessing it was this morning when I was woken up bright and early by my Heavenly Father…well, truthfully at the time I was a little frustrated that I couldn’t sleep past 6am, but in the end it was all worth it! I got to spent some time learning from His word before everyone was awake. Then I got to go for a nice jog with Him, enjoying all His creation—the gorgeous budding blossoming trees, the robins busily digging for food in the ground, the stunning green grass, the brilliant blue sky, the heart beating within my chest. Oh how I long and pray for each and every moment to be lived with this heightened awareness of His presence. I really want to grow in this area and choose to be intentional today about practicing His presence.
I am only too familiar with the "web of busyness". :) I don't know how many times I am surprised by the fact that "Practicing His Presence" is truly what I want to be doing more than anything. The sad part is the surprise. When I read something about it, my whole soul screams "Yes!"
ReplyDeleteWish I didn't forget about it in the middle of things. Thanks for bringing it once again to the forefront! ;)