God's Presence

Saturday 4/22/2017 5:29 AM

Over the course of the past year I have not had a very strong sense of God’s presence in my life. I know what I mean when I say that but to some it sounds like voodoo or some sort of religious mumbo jumbo. In the past I have sensed God’s direction as I go about living my life. When I pray about what I should do I get a feeling as to which way to go. I will have a person or a circumstance come to mind and will have an inner urging to write a note of encouragement to that person, or to give him a call, or to invite her to lunch or coffee. Lately I have not been spending the same amount of time in reading my Bible and in praying so I have not had the same kinds of experiences.

Today I read an excerpt from Radiance of the Inner Splendor, by Lloyd John Olgilvie in which he describes what he means by God dwelling within his people. “When we say that Christ pervades all the aspects of our human nature, it does not mean that he effects a takeover of our will. He did not do that before we became his children; he does not do it now. It does mean that when we set our hearts in the direction of what we know to be God’s heart in the matter – and begin to model our behavior in that direction – then Spirit within immediately reinforces our finite strength with infinite strength. The synthesis is so smooth, it is sometimes impossible to tell where our strength ends and his begins.” Maybe the reason I have different results is because I am no longer intentionally setting my heart in the direction of God’s heart, nor modeling my behavior in that direction. I need to make my time alone with God more of a priority.

Sing and Pray

Wednesday 4/12/2017 5:04 AM

I joined a local community chorale a few weeks ago. I have always enjoyed singing. It soothes my soul. There is something about music that reaches deep inside of me and touches me in ways that other things don’t. Saul, the first king of Israel, suffered bouts of depression. During those times he would have David play his harp for him to give him some relief. I joined the chorale for much the same reason, to help me deal with some of the sadness I have experienced over the past year.

Today I read a portion of Eugene Peterson’s book Earth and Altar that reminds me of this. He writes, “We are born into the web of relationships and continue in it throughout our lifetimes. But we often don’t feel like it. We feel isolated, cut off, fragmented, out of touch. We do not tolerate such isolation very well and move out to overcome it: we call up a neighbor, join a club, write a letter, get married. The disparate attempts accumulate. The self is less isolated. Society is less fragmented. The facts add up. But if we do not pray, they do not add up to enough: in prayer and only in prayer are we able to enter the complexity and depth of the dynamic and interrelated whole. A failure to pray is not a harmless omission; it is a positive violation of both the self and the society.”

Over the past year I have definitely felt isolated, cut off, fragmented, and out of touch. I have withdrawn from much of life, including my time of reading my Bible and meditating on God. I recognize that my isolation has caused me to suffer personally but I haven’t stopped to think about how my isolationism has affected others. In the past my time of meditation has often resulted in becoming aware of the pain and struggles of others. When that happens I often write them a note of encouragement and I spend time praying that God would ease their pain and provide some relief. This past year it seems the bulk of my thoughts and prayers have been self-centered, ignoring the pain of others or simply being ignorant or uninformed of their situations. I need to spend more time contemplating God and his desires for me instead of my own. Perhaps the music of his word and Spirit will soothe my soul in much the same way my singing in the chorale has given me some relief.