Practicing the Presence of God

We often talk about pursuing the presence of God as though His presence is somewhere we need to get to. If we can just find enough quiet. If we can get to church. If worship is especially powerful. If we can carve out thirty uninterrupted minutes with our Bible and a cup of coffee. Then, perhaps, we can enter the presence of God. But what if pursuing God's presence is less about getting somewhere God is and more about becoming aware of the God who is already here? David writes in Psalm 16:8, “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” I love that language: I have set the Lord always before me. There is intentionality to it.

David isn't suggesting that God occasionally showed up when the circumstances were right. He made a conscious decision to continually bring his attention back to God. He cultivated an awareness that wherever he went, whatever he faced, and whatever the day brought, God was present. That kind of awareness doesn't happen accidentally.

Our lives are filled with distractions. Phones buzz. Emails arrive. Meetings begin. People need things. Problems appear. Someone cuts us off in traffic. The grocery store line moves approximately three people per geological era. And before we realize it, hours have passed without our consciously acknowledging God's presence at all. God hasn't moved. Our attention has.

This is where mindfulness can become an important part of our spiritual lives. Biblical mindfulness isn't simply emptying our minds or escaping from reality. It is intentionally bringing our minds, hearts, and attention back to the reality of God. God is here. God is with me. God is speaking. God is working. God is worthy of my attention in this moment.

Brother Lawrence famously described this as practicing the presence of God. He learned to encounter God not only during designated times of prayer, but while doing ordinary work in the monastery kitchen. Washing dishes could become worship. Preparing food could become prayer. The ordinary moments of life could become sacred simply because God was present in them. I think we desperately need to recover that kind of spirituality.

We certainly need dedicated time with God. We need Scripture. We need prayer. We need worship. We need Sabbath. We need those intentional spaces where everything else is set aside so that our attention can be centered completely upon Christ. But our relationship with God was never intended to remain confined to those moments. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you”  John 15:4. Abiding isn't an appointment on the calendar. It is a way of living. It means learning to carry an awareness of Jesus into the meeting, the commute, the construction project, the conversation, the grocery store, the dinner table, the difficult phone call, and the quiet walk at the end of the day.

Sometimes pursuing God's presence can be as simple as stopping for ten seconds and praying:

“Jesus, help me recognize that You are here.”

Before walking into a meeting: Jesus, You are here. When frustration begins rising: Jesus, You are here. When someone needs our attention: Jesus, help me see them the way You do. When something beautiful catches our eye: Thank You, Lord. When anxiety begins racing ahead into tomorrow: Father, bring me back to You, right here, right now. These small prayers begin creating a rhythm of awareness. And over time, something begins to change. We discover that God was present in far more of our lives than we realized.

Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. That doesn't mean walking around all day with our eyes closed and hands folded. That would make driving particularly problematic. It means cultivating a life that remains continually open toward God. Prayer becomes less of an event and more of an ongoing conversation. Worship becomes more than singing songs. And following Jesus becomes more than something we practice on Sunday morning. It becomes the posture of our entire lives.

Perhaps one of the most important spiritual disciplines we can develop is simply learning to notice. Notice God's goodness. Notice His creation. Notice the person standing in front of us. Notice the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Notice our own emotions before they control our reactions. Notice the opportunities God places in our path. Notice the grace that surrounds us in completely ordinary moments. And then respond. Because the goal isn't merely to become more mindful. The goal is to become more aware of God so that we can become more responsive to God.

The presence of God changes how we treat people. It changes how we handle interruptions. It changes how we respond to frustration. It changes how we work. It changes how we rest. It changes how we see the world around us.

Maybe pursuing God's presence today doesn't require adding another complicated spiritual discipline to your schedule. Maybe it begins with something much simpler. Stop. Look around. Take a breath. Remember who is with you.

“I have set the LORD always before me.”

Then carry that awareness into the next moment. And then the next. And then the next. Because the beautiful truth of the Christian life is that we don't have to go searching for a distant God. Through Christ, God has drawn near. The invitation is simply to learn to live like we know He is here.