Here, Now: Unearthing Peace And Presence In An Overconnected Worldनमूना

Let me tell you something I’ve learned the hard way: God is willing to speak to and lead us more than we are willing to be spoken to and led. God feels far sometimes, but he hasn’t gone anywhere. Isaiah 30:18 tells us that he is waiting for us just so he can have compassion on us. Both in the Psalms and from Jesus we are told to cast our burdens on him. That’s the beauty of prayer: the simple act of stopping, of offering Jesus our presence. Prayer is the beginning of presence, the beginning of peace, the beginning of contentment.

That simple act is easier said than done, though. I am all too human, and I confess that if I wait until the end of the day to pray, I barely give Jesus more than a minute as my head hits the pillow before it’s lights out, and even then I go straight to what I want from him. Like, Hey, Jesus, will you please . . . and the snoring ensues. Can you imagine if that was all the attention my man gave me? Yeah, that would be a problem. Especially if he gave me just enough to ask me to do stuff for him, then checked out. Hey, babe, do my laundry . . . snore.

But all foibles of humanity aside, I am acutely aware of the relational effects of communication. Because we are always communicating something to one another, aren’t we? Even in our lack of it. If the only communication happening under my roof is perfunctory or obligatory, the people who live here will begin to believe we don’t love each other. And if the only communicating that happens between me and God is perfunctory or obligatory, I will begin to believe he doesn’t love me. When loving and intimate communication doesn’t happen, the accuser is the one communicating—and I hate what he has to say. . . 

When I sit in stillness writing my prayer, my thoughts make more sense, my mind drifts less, and I can better hear the Lord speaking to me. It’s quality time with Jesus. And when I remember that he is waiting for me, that he wants to be with me, I feel loved, comforted, cared for, encouraged.