Present In His Presence

When is the last time that you found yourself in a conversation with someone and found your mind drifting? Perhaps it went to the past, possibly to another place in the room, or maybe it went to the future. In this high speed, future focused society that we live in, it can feel like an unending and near impossible battle to stay in the moment, to stay present. The culture around us continually feeds this kind of thinking and if we aren’t careful, it will inevitably creep into our lives. I have found myself falling prey to this fairly often in recent years, but the last month or so, I have made a point to catch myself whenever I do, bringing myself back to the present, trying not to allow excuses for myself. I have realized just like any other spiritual discipline that it takes time, grace, and perseverance to begin exercising it within your life. I cannot count how many times, especially early on in my walk, that I have sensed the Holy Spirit guiding me to be more internally intentional with the people and events in my life on a moment by moment basis. This is something that we should all aim for and when we learn to do this and continue to put it into practice in our lives, the more often we are able to love and serve others, and most importantly, be present to the presence of God in our lives.

When reading through Scripture, we come across many stories of those who lived in this state as well. In the Old Testament we read of Abraham and Sarah, who stepped out ahead of God and tried to bring about His promise for their lives in their own time and way. In the New Testament, we have Peter, who was quick to say the right things, but also, quick to say the wrong things in his haste. We also have Mary, distracted, and who seemed to be more concerned with her service to the Lord than being intentional to spend quality time with Him; while also pointing out her sister’s lack of effort. These are just a few examples but serve as an example to us how important it is to pay attention to our own hearts and minds on a daily and minute by minute basis at times.

So, how do we get our hearts and our minds to slow down? How do we figuratively get our minds and thoughts off of the treadmill of running toward the future without paying mind to the present? We need to become relentless in eliminating haste and hurry from our lives. Growing up in Southern California, I was exposed to this kind of lifestyle over and over again by the culture, and it eventually worked its way into our home as a result. Over the years the Lord has been faithful in helping me to remove this way of living. Proverbs 19:2 (ESV) speaks into this topic, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.” When we are not present in the moment with the Lord and begin to be hasty in our dealings, we will miss the right way to go many times. Not only do we potentially miss out on God’s best for us when we live this way, but we also miss out on enjoying the journey of life itself, genuine friendships that need time to nurture, as well as the freedom and joy of living life minute by minute.

If you are reading this and find yourself thinking, “Yeah that’s me,” welcome to the club. I would wager to say that there is no human on this planet that hasn’t struggled with this at one point or another. One of the most important steps you can take to slowing down, is to take a look at your current calendar for the remainder of this year. What does it look like? If you see it packed tight with work, appointments, activities, and things that you might not need to do anymore, take note of it; if you cannot seem to find the time to get away from the distractions, responsibilities, and clamor that life can bring; then create some margin in your life. I have heard the notorious excuse from countless people, including myself, “I’m too busy to slow down,” but this is ultimately a warning sign. I would like to suggest that if you find yourself saying these words, that your time with God might be suffering as a result. He is the One who ultimately needs your time and attention. He wants you to actually be fully present with Him. Being busy does not mean you are pleasing God at all, even in a ministry context. There is an order to how God wants us to have a well balanced life, place Him first, then your family and their needs, and then whatever calling for ministry He may have given you. I have gotten these out of order more times than I can count, and as a result, my time with the Lord, my family life, and my personal life suffered greatly as a result. Create space within your life, your heart, mind, soul, and body will appreciate it for the long haul.

Lastly, find rest. Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 6:31 (NIV), “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” That is Jesus’ wish for each of our lives, especially when He knows that we are constantly pouring out and need to be re-nourished by Him. A common verse that we read through is Romans 12:2. Many times we speak about it in terms of sin, but this verse also exhorts us not to conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This applies to having an extremely busy life; there are few things more damaging than living a life at a blistering pace with no free time. One of the prayers that I continue to request of the Lord is to have Him help me find a well-balanced life. I have heard the workaholics boast of their busy schedules with puffed chests and the sluggards speak of their lackadaisical ways; for me, I’ll take the middle road and allow the Lord to lead me to the abundant life He has spoken about. The more closely I have walked with Him, the more I have seen how He opens the time within even the busiest of days, and I am thankful for that. If you have a mind that continually tells you that you aren’t doing enough, I want to challenge you to slow down right now, and breathe in and out. I believe that one of the reasons why so many in the current day are struggling with anxiety and overly active minds is because they are living life in the fast lane at an unsustainable pace. Maybe set a daily reminder on your phone to take a few minutes, put down your work, put down the phone which is constantly shouting demands at you, and take time to slow your mind. Maybe even try box breathing (Inhale for four seconds, hold it for four, release over four seconds, wait for four seconds, and repeat), I have found this exercise to be highly effective, especially on the extremely busy days. Over time, hopefully these small steps will help you in the long term.

Living in and for the present moment is a difficult thing to do at times, but it is something that I sense the Lord wants us to put into practice in our daily lives. I have wondered how many regrets I would have if I get to the end of my life and realize all the things I had missed that God wanted to show me and experience on a daily basis but I was too busy living for the future, or maybe even a vision given by Him, and completely missed the best things in the present. May we wake up each day with hearts, minds, and souls ready and willing to be fully present with Jesus, basking in His presence, then, step out the door and seek to live the daily walk we talk about, fully living for each moment that He has given us.

Keep Me In The Moment by Jeremy Camp

Singing oh Lord, keep me in the moment

Help me live with my eyes wide open

‘Cause I don’t want to miss what You have for me

Singing oh Lord, show me what matters

Throw away what I’m chasing after

‘Cause I don’t want to miss what You have for me

Keep me in the moment

By Mark Anderson

November 2023