Practicing The Presence
Written by Jarred Rushing
(5 minutes)
The next morning, Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house while it was dark, and made his way to a secluded place to give himself to prayer. Later, Simon and his friends searched for him, and when they finally tracked him down, they told him, "Everyone is looking for you -- they want you!" (Mark 1:35-37)
In Jesus we see the best expression of the ONE thing lifestyle. He is continually turning His heart towards the Father and intentionally spending time alone with Him. And even though we see Jesus slipping away for these quiet moments, we also get a glimpse of an ongoing discussion that He had with Abba.
So Jesus said, "I speak to you timeless truth. The Son is not able to do anything from himself or through my own initiative. I only do the works that I see the Father doing, for the Son does the same works as his Father." (John 5:19)
How much focus would Jesus have to give to His relationship with the Father if He was only ever doing what He saw the Father doing? We're not just talking about an hour getaway when things were quiet and peaceful (although Jesus prioritized this as well). We're talk about an ongoing, continual turning of the heart toward God. We're talking about a nonstop conversation that Jesus was having with Abba. Jesus said that He couldn't "do anything from himself or through [his] own initiative." That would require a never-ending connection to the Father.
Is that even possible for us?
It must be, because we're destined to be transformed into the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him. (Romans 8:29)
The Holy Spirit is working in us today to make us just like Jesus. We're designed to have the same relationship that Jesus shared with the Father - to the same degree, the same fullness. We are destined to walk in that same measure of closeness and union. Jesus did not possess some unattainable, unachievable relationship with God. His life is our map, our pattern, and our blueprint. We have been predestined to become just like Him.
It's important that we see this, because if Jesus remains an unattainable goal then so does His relationship with Abba. We have to start seeing Jesus as our older brother, and just like little brothers and sisters do - we're following His footsteps. We're watching how He does it, and we're imitating Him until it becomes who we are. But we need to believe that it WILL become who we are.
Brother Lawrence, a 17th century hermit and friar, coined an important phrase that you've heard in our language at The Wilderness Place - it's "practicing the presence of God." He made a decision to stop all of his set forms of prayer and devotion, and he started pursuing the presence of God in every moment, letting his heart turn towards the face of Abba as often as possible. He believed that we should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him. Listen to his words:
“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”
We need to tear the down the wall that we've erected between our quiet time and the rest of our day. The same face-to-face presence we enjoy in our time alone with Abba needs to bleed into every moment, by having a continual conversation with Him. We might be taken away for a moment, but we are always picking up where we left off. "Okay, Abba, I'm back. Where were we?"
It's the turning of the heart towards Him.
It's practicing the presence of God.
Abba wants to speak to us in and through everything. If our ear is tuned in to this constant conversation, we will begin to hear Him in ways we've never heard Him before. He'll talk to us while we're cooking a meal or watching a movie. He'll reveal things to us through an offhand conversation with a stranger. He'll teach us through ordinary moments with our children and grandchildren. He'll use pets, trees, mountains, boardgames, homework, yard work, flowers, birds and so much more to speak to us. Practicing the presence of God is about developing an ear that is always tuned in to the conversation and a spirit that is always sensitive to Abba's heart. You'll be doing the most ordinary task and then your ear will perk up and your spirit will agree, "I just heard Abba's voice in that moment."
We must choose at the start of every day to engage in this walk with Abba. We can't let the distractions of the day quiet our hunger for His voice. Saying "Yes and I do!" to Abba is saying "No and I don't!" to all the annoying little foxes that are only trying to ruin the vineyard of our love affair with Jesus. As He becomes the ONE thing our heart desires, all the noisy intrusions of our own enemy-thoughts will die down. Brother Lawrence would call those "trifles and fooleries." They are not worth our time. But He is worthy of our life.
Let your walk with Abba span the length of this entire day! Let the wall between your quiet time and the rest of your day be torn down. Let your conversation with Him have no end.
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Worship: "You Walk With Me" by Housefires
Honor: Give Online to The Wilderness Place
Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!
