April Week 3: Practicing the Presence of God

During these times of social distancing and working from home, many of our former routines have been interrupted. By now, it’s likely that you have at least partially adjusted to the change of pace due to COVID and begun to establish new daily rhythms and routines. However, it is important for us to ask ourselves: what are our routines centered around, and what are they based on? What motivated the routines we have formed?

Are you establishing your routines to be as productive as possible? Perhaps you don’t have a routine, and are struggling to be centered around anything. Wherever you’re at, its worthwhile to consider how we can center ourselves around God as we form rhythms and habits.

The following two passages are encouraging reminders of the necessity of centering ourselves on God’s presence in our everyday lives:

Psalm 1:1-4 

1 Blessed is the man[a]
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law[b] of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 

Jeremiah 7:5-8 

5 Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
    and makes flesh his strength,[a]
    whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 He is like a shrub in the desert,
    and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
    in an uninhabited salt land. 

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
8 He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Here it is evident that the blessed center themselves on the presence of God as they meditate on his word day and night and trust in what they hear from Him. The person that practices – or makes a habit – of seeking God in his word and through prayer are like firm trees with deep roots and bear much fruit.

Take a few moments and pray through the following:

Do you find yourself consistently pursuing God through his word and through prayer?

Ask God to encourage and to help you to pursue him more consistently.

I pray that you would be reminded of his love for you, and that his love would be your motivation to pursue him in genuine.

How can you remind yourself that God is present with you even outside of your devotional time?  How can you remember his presence in the midst of your day to day activities? 

Pray and ask God to make you more aware of his presence there.

Try practicing thankfulness for the menial things during your day to day.

Can you see yourself producing fruit of the Spirit, or are you feeling more so as the “shrub in the desert” not seeing any good come?

Pray that God would revitalize you as you drink deep from the life giving truth of his love for you as displayed by his promises in scripture.

He has promised to give us his Spirit – the comforter.  Ask God to fill you with his Spirit that you may be more conformed to his image and others may see God working through you.

Have a blessed week,

Prayer Team