Practice the Presence of God
Good Morning Friends,
I have some friends who have disciplined themselves like watchman in the night to pray for Immokalee. They are rare creatures that pray and hope for a day when their numbers increase dramatically. They sense the challenge that George Barna translated into a study about 15 years ago. You see Barna discovered that out of 87 percent who believe that God answers prayers, only 54 percent pray on a daily basis. I do not know what the percentage is today but have to wonder why the big difference exists and have come to the conclusion that people are not disciplined in prayer like some of my friends. Perhaps as a culture we would like to think we have a great faith, but the lack of ease in the workings of prayer. This suggests we really struggle as if we have faith when we do not. Scripture suggests that self-transformation resides in the practice of the spiritual disciplines. We are to have times of solitude and silence, prayer, simple and sacrificial living, meditation upon God’s word and ways, and service to others. Getting up in the morning and writing this devotional is not an end in itself but an exercise of the spirit in me and keeps the light on in my life as I Practice the Presence of God.
Scripture: The psalmist wrote, “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
Psalm 18:28 (NIV)
Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales. Train yourself in godliness, for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NRSV)
Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 26:41 (NRSV)
And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (NRSV)
Message: What we do in the spotlight is one thing but perhaps more important is the discipline that goes into preparing for it. Disciplines do not earn us favor with God or measure spiritual success. They are exercises which equip us to live fully and freely in the present reality of God – and God works with us, giving us grace as we learn and grow. Unfortunately spiritual growth is a biblical assumption of the normal Christian life that seems to have been overlooked in modern society. Friends, this superficiality is a curse on our country. Instant satisfaction is a problem. We are called to move beyond the surface of our faith and dive into the depths of a spiritual life. There are those like my friends who pray for revival in the hope that Christianity would be incredibly influential in our culture. Maybe this would happen if Christians matured in their faith experience. Friends, we need to occupy ourselves with knowing God, and the more we know God, the more we will desire to know God, and the more we desire God the more we will love God. And as this love grows we by the very nature of it will learn to love others and in that love discover revival. When we are faithful to exercise a spiritual discipline we can have confidence in the promise that God will meet us in the discipline, whether we emotionally feel it or not.
Pray we have the grace to hear God’s voice and obey his word. Pray we have the grace of an interactive conversation with God about what we are doing together. Pray we deny ourselves physically for the sake of intense spiritual growth. Pray that our minds learn to concentrate in a way that conforms us to a divine order. Pray we have the grace of an inward reality that results in an outward life style. Pray our time with God does not have to compete with other relationships. Pray we practice disciplines which free us to let go of the burden of always needing to get our own way. Pray that the growth required of going beyond ourselves produce in us the virtue of humility. Pray we experience the grace and mercy of God for healing the sins and sorrows of the past. Pray we worship in the glorious experience of God’s shining presence. Pray God’s light shines guidance on our daily life through an interactive friendship with Jesus. Pray we learn to walk and leap and praise God. Pray for people of deep prayer. Pray we understand that the way God changes lives is though the development of our spiritual character. Pray that we realize that grace is not opposed to our effort…it is opposed to our thinking we have earned any of this.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 