(submitted by Sheryl Ditmer)
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3: 16-17.
Scripture tells us that as believers Christ dwells in us. It says that as soon as we acknowledge our belief and need for Him as our savior, he takes up residency. We also know He is every where, all the time. He is omnipresent. Thus, He is in us and around us, whether we are in Sidney, Tijuana, or Cap Haitien.
Yet, we journey through most (if not all) of our daily activities not sensing His presence. Why is that? Is it that we don’t have enough faith that He truly is everywhere? Is it that we don’t believe He loves US that much? Is it that we lack the discipline of knowing how to dwell in His presence? Or is it we are just too busy to even think about it?
Henry Nouwen writes, “Through contemplative prayer we can keep ourselves from being pulled from one urgent issue to another and from becoming strangers to our own heart and God’s heart. Contemplative prayer keeps us home, rooted and safe, even when we are on the road, moving form place to place, and often surrounded by sounds of violence and war. Contemplative prayer deepens in us the knowledge that we are already free, that we have already found a place to dwell, that we already belong to God, even though everything and everyone around us keep suggesting the opposite.”
Can it be that easy? Is it just a matter of prayer? I’m thinking, in most cases, the answer is YES. Mind you this is not the kind of prayer where you give God a list of requests, but the kind where you listen, look, feel and open yourself up to Him. It is a state of mind and yes it is a discipline you have to learn. The good news is it can be done and it makes a huge difference.
I encourage you today, where ever you are journeying, to go with God. He is closer than you know and more than willing to go through your day with you.
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2 comments:
Wow. Thank you for the encouragement, Sheryl. The encouragement to be pro-active in our relationship with God, to seek to both see Jesus and be Jesus for others. How often for me even the slightest "blip" in my devotional and prayer life has set off a self-imposed spiritual desert.
I've forgotten what it means to experience the presence of God in my earthly sojourns. I'm sick of church politics and superficial facade of the institution.
Sometimes I wonder if all the teachings I received concerning God and Jesus are real or just the inventions of men, because I see so little resemblance in the lives of those who purported to teach them.
Maybe I've become skeptical over the whole thing after spending the good 30 years of my life in such a institution, only to witness church split and leaders turned irreconciliable enemies.
Where is the life-tranforming power of God? Where is the love?
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