ETERNITY

[Ranb2khz]

In His Presence

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 89:1-17

Key Passage:

"Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence, Lord." ~ Psalm 89:15

The seventeenth-century monk Brother Lawrence, before a day's work as cook in his community, would pray:

"My God...grant me your grace to stay in Your presence. Help me in my labors. Possess all my affections."

As he worked, he kept talking to God, listening for His leading and dedicating his work to Him. Even when he was busiest, he would use intervals of relative calm to ask for His grace. No matter what was happening, he sought for and found a sense of his Maker's love.

As Psalm 89 confesses, the fitting response to the Creator of all, who rules the oceans, and is worshiped by hosts of angels, is to lift up our lives - our whole lives to Him. When we understand the beauty of who God is, we "hear the joyful call to worship" - whenever and wherever we are "all day long".

Whether it's standing in store or airport lines, or waiting on hold minute-after-minute, our lives are full of moments like these, times when we could get annoyed. Or these can be times when we catch our breath and see each of these pauses as an opportunity to learn to "walk in the light of God's presence".

The "wasted" moments of our lives, when we wait or lay ill, or wonder what to do next, are all possible pauses to consider our lives in the light of His presence.

~ Harold Myra (adapted from a book of Brother Lawrence's work. http://dhp.org/practice)