Day 41 - Being Mindful of God Presence

Read Psalm 139:1-18

So what is mindfulness? Google offers us a description: “Mindfulness is the practice of consciously focussing on the present moment with openness, curiosity and without judgement”.

My mind is usually so full of activity that mindfulness is not something that I naturally or easily achieve. However, I sometimes feel I get near a state of mindfulness when I go for a walk and rather than focussing on my feelings and thoughts, I try to focus on God. I will ask Him what He is feeling and thinking and try and listen to what is on His heart. This may lead to prayer on a given situation. Sometimes I will look at the beauty of the nature that surrounds me or the unfathomable expanse of the universe, or God’s goodness and love which He shows me. I may marvel at the abundance and diversity of bird or plant life and thank Him that we are not called to live in a monotonous and drab world. This often leads to worship and praise to my heavenly Father. If no one is within earshot, I may sometimes declare His glory in my own words or sing an appropriate hymn or chorus. If I have felt low, this is often enough to raise my spirit and to give me a better perspective on the world or my own concerns.

These thoughts take me on to a book I read some time ago written by Brother Lawrence called The Practice of the Presence of God. This 17th century French monk talked about making awareness of God’s presence a continuous experience where every activity becomes an act of worship, however menial or ordinary.

He treated prayer as a natural conversation with God, sharing thoughts and concerns using simple language, asking for God’s help with each task, or asking God to help to deal with others with the same love and concern that He would show them.

The truth of the matter is that God is right there by our side wherever we are and whatever we are doing. We can turn to Him and involve Him in whatever we are doing. For instance, as I sit here typing these words I can ask Him to help me to know what to say that would be of comfort or encouragement or support. In the same way, we can ask God how to pray for someone we meet, that we may bless them or help them.

When God created Adam and placed him in Eden, He sought to spend time with Adam in the cool of the day. I believe that, as with Adam, God is blessed when we seek to spend time with Him, to acknowledge His love, goodness and provision and to involve Him in our daily existence. Not because we feel we should or as a dry ritual, but rather because we choose and enjoy spending time with Him.

Putting ourselves into situations beyond our natural abilities is also a good way to involve God in our lives. Volunteering to prepare a Bible study, to visit a sick person, or someone in prison will often mean we will need God’s help in knowing what to say or do. Each time we involve Him is an opportunity to exercise faith and to see Him answer prayer.

As Brother Lawrence wrote, it is a case of practising the turning of our attention on God, drawing closer to Him and in doing so, getting to know Him better and in faith, becoming more like Him.

Steve Horton