At Any Moment in Time
At any moment in time there are two questions to ask: What am I called to do? and What am to learn from this, whatever is in my life right now? If Jesus is to be our guide and mentor, then we need to consult with Him at every turn. For what good is it to pray every morning and then not listen to Him all day long? Whether we are at work or with family or friends or in leisure time, He is to be our Consultant, our Mentor in everything we do and say.
Prayer is our way of connecting to God, but lifting up our questions and agendas throughout our days will bring His guidance into our whole lives, not just be the punctuation marks at the beginning and end of our days. This kind of prayer is an ongoing dialogue between us and God which shapes our days and our lives and allows God the greatest influence in our lives. Seeing Him in every aspect of our lives will bring us to a state of gratitude as we see Him for all He is doing in our lives, for peace in all things, for fulfillment as He shapes and molds us in His ways and timing and desires for us.
Consulting Jesus at every turn is the surest way to stay in His will for us. It doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes or stray upon occasion, but it does mean that we will hear what He says to us and shows us about how we are to be, what we are to do and how we are to do it. And how we are to self-correct, if need be. As we follow Him deeper and deeper into our lives, into ourselves, He promises that we will be given what we are to say in difficult situations,[1] that He will carry our burdens,[2] that our needs will be met, that we will be loved and supported,[3] that He will be with us always.[4]
Being closely attuned to what God is revealing to us at any moment in time is the way to peace and joy and love, to all the fruit of the Spirit—patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.[5] It is the way into discipleship where we are not only following Jesus, but are filled with the Holy Spirit as we live the Gospel teachings and live out the purpose for which we were born. Goodness, kindness and gentleness, faithfulness and self-control—this is how we love our neighbors as ourselves when we are at peace, full of love and joy and patience.[6]
To hear Jesus and the Indwelling Spirit of God we need to be present to Him. That means that we have to have quieted our noisy minds, so that we can hear that “still, small voice.”[7] It means that we have learned to notice all His actions on our behalf throughout our days. And that takes a frequent glance in His direction, an awareness of His blessings and grace, a sense of His presence with us. Whether it’s a post-it on your mirror that reminds you to look to Him through the day or a quiet alarm set to remind you to turn your thoughts to Him periodically—do whatever helps you turn to Him throughout each day. Gratitude for everything you notice that comes from Him is another way to notice more and more help, support, direction and just plain love—He offers us lots of examples throughout our days! If only we will notice. Remember how often Jesus talks about those who can see and hear[8]—He’s talking about our ability to notice His actions in our lives, along with just recognizing His presence and understanding the depths of His teachings.
For us to recognize His presence in our lives, we must be still inside ourselves, quiet in His presence and feel the fullness of the moments with Him. We must bring our whole attention to the Lord, so that we are fully present to Him. Then we are resting in His presence where there are no worries, there is no fear or anger or defensiveness. All our attention is on the Lord; and we are still, quiet in His presence. It is not that the worries, fear and anger won’t be present in us; it is just that we won’t be swayed by them, taken off the will of God.
At any moment in time are we present to the Lord? Are we present—body, mind and spirit—to His presence? That is the real question for our lives. Let’s do it, live it always!
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Questions to ponder over the week: Am I present to the Lord throughout my days? Do I seek his guidance with everything that comes up during a day? Do I trust Him fully to suggest what is best for me at any given moment? Do I lean on Him for every need?
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Blessing for the week: May we be the people of God who rely on Him in everything we say and do. May we rest in His presence throughout our days.
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[1] Matthew 10:19
[2] Matthew 11:28-30
[3] Matthew 6:25-34
[4] Matthew 28:19-20, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:6, Zephaniah 3:17,Jebrews 13:5, Romans 8:38-39
[5] Galatians 5:22-23
[6] Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28
[7] 1 Kings 19:12
[8] For example, Matthew 13:13, 13:16, 25:37-44, Mark 8:18, Luke 18:14, John 7:3