10 Spiritual Practices of God’s Presence

What better way to get to know someone than to read or listen to their biography from four different perspectives: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Every day re-engage, read, remember, reconsider and reimagine the life of Jesus while rooted somewhere in these four gospel books of the Bible. There are all sorts of ideas regarding Jesus.  If you are at all open to the idea of Jesus being God, then I encourage you to still get to know Jesus for yourself and make an informed decision.  Set aside what others say and get to know him personally for yourself based on eye witness accounts.  Returning to Jesus is a foundational practice that will keep you dug in, and engaging with the presence and identity of God.

Today, slowly re-read and think about just one of the 8 qualities that are blessed by God.   Notice that each quality (also known as beatitudes) are fulfilled and satisfied by God’s presence.  For example, the first is found in Matt. 5:3.  Accepting our poverty of spirit is critical in experiencing God's merciful, loving presence and help in our lives!  Work your way through each of the eight qualities in Matt. 5:3-12 over 8 the course of eight days.  Feel free to spend longer or shorter on each quality with a focus on God’s presence filling, surrounding, guiding, and protecting you in that moment. 

You can join me by reading one chapter daily and watching my Time with Jesus short videos where we help each other to get into the Bible, especially the gospels, to know Jesus.  Click here for the  Time with Jesus Shorts and click on the subscribe button and the notifications bell to be notified when a new Time with Jesus video is posted.

The body is often forgotten and minimized in much of Christian culture.  Contrast that with the secular obsession with fitness and health and looks, and well, it’s confusing.  We are mind, soul and body.  In the following passage, Jesus looked up to heaven, with his eyes open, and talked to God out loud.

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you." -  [John 17:1 NLT]

At least once each day this week, talk to Jesus out loud with your eyes looking up.  Or try a different physical position, like on your knees.  Sometimes I get on my knees and face the wall in my office, like Hezekiah did when his city was under siege.  The wall is a great reminder of just how powerless we are to overcome problems, or do good without believing in God’s powerful presence in our lives.  

Here are some other ideas.  Simply acknowledge God’s presence with a movement when you are involved with a physical activity like lifting weights, shooting a basket, putting dishes away or running. 

If we’ve placed our trust in Jesus, we can rest in, enjoy and celebrate all those deep desires that are satisfied as we bathe in God’s over us.  You are enjoyed, accepted, adopted, secure, significant, satisfied...the list goes on and on, because of the work of Jesus on through the cross and with His Spirit.  Repeat, meditate, reflect and personalize one piece of truth repeatedly so that it becomes second nature and echoes in your mind as a very personal word from God to you.

Take Zephaniah 3:17 as an example:   

For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs." - [Zep 3:17 NLT]

Just take one small part of this passage and change it to something like this: “[Your name], I rejoice over you with joyful songs.”  Take a moment to repeat this truth out loud to yourself and/or just think about it at least 5 times each day.  Or put it up somewhere where you will see it: a bathroom mirror, end table near your bed, your car dashboard or office desk.

Talk with God mid-conversation as you speak to someone, at an event or during an activity.   I use to play golf and not give a moments thought about God especially if I was playing really well (rare) or stinking it up (often).  Nehemiah does this in the Bible.

Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.  And I said to the king…   [Neh 2:4 NKJV]

Practice praying the mid-conversation prayer this week at least once each day when you are talking to someone or in the middle of an activity like checking out at the grocery store, speaking to a co-worker or working out at the gym.

I’m not talking about the DMV.   For a long time, I would pray beginning with, “God, Lord, or Father,” which would be an abstract idea of God at best, or at worst, a negative association from my past because of baggage related to those titles.

Instead, at least once each day this week, try talking to God by saying the name of Jesus out loud, or something more personal like Daddy, or Abba.   Picture Jesus in your mind based on a representation from a gospel story that is especially meaningful to you.  For example, in John 10, he calls himself the good shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep.  Imagine him leading you, carrying you, holding you close, and standing between you and some threat, like a cliff, a wild animal, or another person.

Can you think of another practice that would help you let everything and everyone else fade away, so that you are only aware of God?  Brother Lawrence gives radical advice in his book.  Here's a great modern translation of his book: The Practice of the Presence of God.

“I began to practice the presence of God.  and, I began to live as if there was no one else in the world but God and me.” Page 29

Here are a few exercises for Fade and Focus. Do you ever wonder why some of your best thinking happens in the shower?  I will close my eyes, let the water run over my head, and just let everything fade away except the awareness of God’s presence.  Sometimes, I will even tilt my head or lean against the shower wall like I’m leaning on Jesus, just like John did at the last supper.  

Can anyone out there back me up on how peaceful it feels to have water run over the head?  Or, instead of water, you can invest in some serious noise-canceling headphones, or ones that play music (click here for Sleepbuds) that draw you into practicing God’s presence (try not to fall asleep;-).  Using headphones is a practice that is mentioned in Jay Stringer’s book, Unwanted, which does a fantastic job of unpacking the unique stories and sources of our sexuality both good and bad.

While we strive to practice God’s presence throughout the day there are particular moments or experiences in God’s presence that we need and want to record and remember.  This is where a journal (Click here for the WLT Journal), a canvas, a camera, or smartphone app come in.  It’s not so much the medium or method, but the a means and the motive. 

Think of it this way, if Jesus was meeting with you for coffee, or in your hotel room, or hiking up a mountain with you, would you want to write down or record what happens?  Things changed for me in that empty Louisville hotel room where I would usually feel lonely and bored.  I was rooming with Jesus, and I couldn’t wait to get into my room, get on my knees and lay my journal on the bed, ready to record my time with Jesus.   I often take my journal with me during my alone times, road trips, for a Sunday sermon, on a hike, etc., because there’s an expectancy and valuing of that time as a real meeting with God.  And when there isn’t that excitement or expectancy, having something to keep a record can remind and rekindle the presence of God.

At least once this week get away with your journal, a paintbrush, colored pencils, or headphones (noise-cancelling or peaceful sounds) so you can be alone.  Friendly reminder: don't take your phone.  If you do, then activate do not disturb and/or airplane mode). 

I put on a timer and sit back in my office chair with my eyes closed and remind myself that God is present right there with me (I just say“Lord,” or "Jesus" and just sit with Him), pour out my heart, and listen for God’s voice, which I will talk about in the next video called Pitch or Hearing God’s Voice.

Once a day, start small and set a timer for 1 minute and just sit with God.  A friend of mine said that he can’t sit.  He has to walk.  Find what works for you with the timer, that sets aside focused time in God’s Presence.  I also remember a time when I just didn’t want to journal because it felt like another task to check off or more of a burden.  So I stopped.  Again, find what works for you for the season you are in right now! 

Does God feel more present when you sing to God, or with God, or just when you listen to the words and imagine God's presence?  Also, test instrumental songs vs. songs with lyrics and different genres.

Personal Note: For the longest time, I didn’t sing in church, but when I finally broke free and stopped caring about what others thought of me or self-consciousness, I really connected more deeply with God’s presence.

 I like to sing songs out loud in the car that make me aware of God’s presence like this one: By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North

Here is my personal WLT Freedom Songs Playlist on Spotify if you would like to listen and see if it's helpful to you.

 Listen and/or sing at least one song each day this week with a focus on practicing God’s presence.

Read or listen to a book, podcast, your own journal or writing, or another person.  The four gospels are essential in some way for our everyday practice of God’s presence, but there are other books that have been helpful to me also.  The 365 day devotional that my wife and I recommend a ton is called, Every Day In God’s Presence by Charles Stanley.

Get Everyday in God’s Presence and read one devotional each day in God’s Presence for a year.  Keep in mind God’s presence as you read and be expectant that God has something personal that He wants to say to you.

Keep in mind that I am an introverted, counselor, English major, with input and connectivity as two of my top qualities (Strengths Finder Assessment) and mercy as my main spiritual gift.  Not everything is going to resonate with you.  You need to know yourself:  That said, as a way of balancing out the bias of my practices/approaches that I am sharing, you can check out a great article called Jesus Didn’t Journal by the wife of a well-known author and introverted pastor.  I especially like it, because she pushes back on some of the practices I mentioned, like journaling and instead mentions attending an intense event.   As an extrovert, she talks about connecting with God at a big wave surfing event with lots of people all around her:-).  On the lefts sidebar of this article, there are other articles called "Fresh Air" and "Creative Connections" that explore some other potentially helpful practices.  There's also a tool called Extended Time Alone with God that you can check out.

If you feel like these practices are dead space, boring or you get antsy, then check out the other two factors: Pour (click for Video / Red Dot Exercise) and Pitch (See exercise Listening Prayer and Inner-Healing Prayer / Video coming soon).  Ultimately, we need all three factors to be a part of our lives.