Cultivating Moments with God

 

By: Donna Bucher

Are you finding God in the moments of each day or struggling to recognize His presence? Perhaps you remain content relegating your time with God to a number of scheduled encounters. Church attendance, weekly Bible study, or a brief morning devotional encompass your God encounters.

What if I told you finding God in the moments of each day required no more knowledge than you currently have? In fact it requires no additional time, beliefs, or doctrines.

And the good news? It helps you with daily obligations, increasing efficiency, and effectiveness. Interested? I admit it seems a radical approach when you feel "pressed for time" most days. But choosing the best part, actually allows everything else to seamlessly fit into place.

 

Paying a visit to Jesus and His friends in Bethany; Mary, Martha and Lazarus, we find the familiar story told in Luke 10:38-42, with Martha distracted by preparations for Jesus' visit. Meanwhile, Mary, seated at Jesus' feet, listens to Him, rather than helping her sister.

Martha confronts Jesus about the disparity, resulting in the reminder, “she worries about many things”. After which, He tells her only "one thing" is needful and Mary chose that "good thing".

If most days have us feeling like Martha, how do we, like Mary, manage to see God in the moments of our day?

 

SEEING MORE OF GOD

The implication of Jesus’ words speaks not about shirking responsibilities to sit reading our Bibles all day. But it neither refers to a specified "morning" devotion time which we check off and then proceed handling the rest of the day ourselves.

 

Rather, Jesus sets a priority of seeing and hearing God. Literally, finding God in the moments of each day. The truth of Jesus’ words became crystal clear reading John 14:9. In His response to Philip, Jesus points out Philip already saw the Father, but never recognized Him.

 

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John 14:9

 

Like Philip, my desire for seeing “more” of God missed the realization of His presence already there, but undetected by me, piercing my heart.

Though seeking God in prayer and Bible reading, bookended my days, as well as seeking Him in the occasional tough spot during my day; in all of the moments in between, I rarely consulted Him. Foolishly, after the blanket prayer, giving God my day during morning devotions, I concluded the rest was up to me.

 

What if, considering Luke 10:38-42 and John 14:9, the priority of finding God in the moments of each day remained fluid?

What if Mary's example spoke not only about putting God first in my day, but putting Him first in every moment?

Would seeing God in every moment allow the Holy Spirit to fill more of my days?

What about the practical side of things? Though Martha seems rebuked for attending to the obvious needs of the day, those needs press upon each one of us daily. But Jesus’ words to Martha contained no rebuke.

Instead, Jesus challenged Martha's focus. Her focus on preparations for Jesus precluded her seeing and hearing Jesus. On the other hand, Mary's focus rested on Jesus allowing her to see and hear Him above all else.

 

Consider a simple centering prayer:

Thank you God for this moment, help me to experience you in it.

This prayer said throughout the day enables your "availability" to God and the filling of the Holy Spirit. First, it centers you in the present moment – where the Presence of God resides.  Then it asks for His help in the present moment of need.

The beauty of this prayer rests in its brevity and simplicity. Requiring little time, even if unspoken, in an instant we make any ground, holy ground.

Consider the impact of remaining fully present and filled with the Holy Spirit, during whatever obligations demand your attention. Imagine how seeing God in the moments of your day might transform each task, ensuring the completion of your obligations with excellence and efficiency to the glory of God.

Imagine the transformation of your daily encounters with others, as you invite God into those moments.

Cultivating moments with God by inviting Him into even the ordinary using a simple prayer, removes self-focus, negative emotions, overwhelm, and performance mentality. Instead, the focus rests squarely on God and his Presence and purpose for your day.

What other ways can you invite God into the moments of your day?

Find more encouragement and FREE Resources at Serenity in Suffering!

 

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