Nearer Than We Imagine: Meditations on Practicing the Presence of GodSample

Keeping Our Focus on God

The first means of acquiring the presence of God is a new life, received by salvation through the blood of Christ.

The second is faithfully practicing God’s presence. This must always be done gently, humbly, and lovingly, without giving way to anxiety or problems.

Next, the soul’s eyes must be kept on God, particularly when something is being done in the outside world. Since much time and effort are needed to perfect this practice, one should not be discouraged by failure. Although the habit is difficult to form, it is a source of divine pleasure once it is learned.

It is proper that the heart—which is the first to live and which dominates all the other parts of the body—should be the first and the last to love God. The heart is the beginning and the end of all our spiritual and bodily actions and, generally speaking, of everything we do in our lives. It is, therefore, the heart whose attention we must carefully focus on God.

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Think about God as often as you can, day and night, in everything you do. He is always with you. Just as you would be rude if you deserted a friend who was visiting you, why would you be disrespectful of God by abandoning His presence?

Do not forget Him! Think of Him often. Adore Him ceaselessly. Live and die with Him. That is the real business of Christians; in a word, it is our profession. If we do not know it, we must learn it.

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You aren’t the only one to be distracted from the presence of God; I understand completely. Our minds are so flighty. However, remember that our God-given wills govern all of our strength. We must recall our minds to God. Otherwise, our spirits may wander, dragging us down to the things of this earth.

I think the remedy for the problem is to confess our faults to God and humble ourselves before Him. It isn’t necessary to be too verbose in prayer, because lengthy prayers encourage wandering thoughts. Simply present yourself to God as if you were a poor man knocking on the door of a rich man, and fix your attention on His presence. If your mind wanders at times, don’t be upset, because being upset will only distract you more. Allow your will to recall your attention gently to God. Such perseverance will please Him.

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Another way to prevent the mind from wandering away from God during prayer is to train yourself to dwell in His presence all day long. This will provide a sort of “practice” for you, as you remind yourself to concentrate on Him. Remaining in His presence during prayer time will thus become easier.

You know…how advantageous I think it is to practice the presence of God. Let’s take this act of loving God seriously and pray for one another.

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Let us occupy ourselves entirely in knowing God. The more we know Him, the more we will desire to know Him. As love increases with knowledge, the more we know God, the more we will truly love Him. We will learn to love Him equally in times of distress and in times of great joy.

Although we seek and love God because of the blessings He has given us or for those He may give us in the future, let us not stop there. These blessings, as great as they are, will never carry us as near to Him as a simple act of faith does in a time of need or trouble.

Let us look to God with these eyes of faith. He is within us; we don’t need to seek Him elsewhere. We have only ourselves to blame if we turn from God, occupying ourselves instead with the trifles of life. In His patience, the Lord endures our weaknesses. Even so, just think of the price we pay by being separated from His presence!

Once and for all, let us begin to be His entirely. May we banish from our hearts and souls all that does not reflect Jesus. Let us ask Him for the grace to do this so that He alone might rule in our hearts.

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God has infinite treasures to give us…. Why should we be satisfied with a brief moment of worship? With such meager devotion, we restrain the flow of God’s abundant grace. If God can find a soul filled with a lively faith, He pours His grace into it in a torrent that, having found an open channel, gushes out exuberantly.

Thought: All things are possible to him who believes; still more to him who hopes; still more to him who loves; and most of all to him who practices all three.