Present to God

In a recent blog post I wrote about what I wanted to be known for. www.mike-ascend.blogspot.com The first thing on my list was being known for being present to God. To me that's at the center of God's purpose for every persons life.

Present to God. Words come to mind like attentive, quiet, listening, centering,solitude, disciplines, interactive, speaking, and being. All things, by the way, that don't come easily to me. I battle against them. I'd much rather do than be. I'm much more adept at talking about God than I am in experiencing Him. And that's not serving me well.

I do 'faith' for a living. I work for God. But if truth be known much of the work I do for God has it's origins in my own needs and wants. Obedience plays a role. I know enough about God's will to dutifully do the right things in the right way and often, even, with a good heart and humble intentions. But do I know God?

I can't know God unless I'm present to Him. Neither can you.

Have you ever been around someone who knows God? I have. More than a few. Some quiet. Many not. All wired differently. The common denominator has always been 'quality time alone with God'. Not just quality time either. It was good chunks of time in the presence of God. Those times were daily. Sometimes twice a day. I remember one of my bosses in Young Life named Tom Raley. Tom gave to the Lord the first hour of every day and the last half hour before going to bed. It was the habit of his life. Each day being in the presence of God was eagerly anticipated.

What is my habit?

What's yours?

We put ourselves in the presence of God so His presence can infill our life. That's where the power we are all looking for comes from. We're at our best when God is working in and through our life and we are responding to the promptings of a surprisingly talkative Holy Spirit.

So when all is said and done and people said at my funeral ..."Mike was attentive to what God was prompting. He allowed himself to cultivate the habit of being present to God." ...well, there would be far worse things that could be said, huh? Not a bad thing to be known for.

I watch people live their lives in amazing ways. Some good. Some not so much. So much of what I see is people living reactively without purposeful intention and reflection. People live life fast. Too fast. What would happen if we all slowed down and habitually placed ourselves in a quiet place allowing God to love on us and whisper his desires into the weary and broken places of our life? We would be transformed I think.