Simple attention to the Presence of the Lord is the door to living our lives. Do not let your thinking minimize this truth or allocate it to a few “fanatics” who live in monasteries. It is the path for all. It is heaven on earth. Do not think you can live without this simple attention in your life. Do not put it off or believe that you will have time before you die to give God enough simple attention to His Presence. In fact, take time to bring to memory those whom God has brought into your life who have habitually practiced such simple attention to His Presence, and you will immediately recognize the truth in this observation: Simple attention to the Presence of the Lord is the door to living our lives.
Consider such an example of one who touched Jesus when He spoke of her:
“41 Jesus sat down opposite the treasury in the Temple and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then Jesus called His disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on’” Mark 12:41-44.
Dear friends, from where could this poor widow’s generosity have come to give back to God “everything she had, all she had to live on” except from her simple attention to the Presence of the Lord? There is no other explanation!
Consider another such example of a woman whose simple attention to the Presence of the Lord could be the only plausible explanation for such love, for such faith, for such hope:
“As Jesus went, the crowds pressed in on Him. 43 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. 44 She came up behind him and touched
the fringe of his cloak, and immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 Then Jesus asked,
“Who touched me?” When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.
48 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace” Luke 8:43-48.
My prayer is that you and I will practice simple attention to the Presence of the Lord rather than to reflect on the broken unfaithfulness of our hearts and souls!
Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner!
From the Bible consider this story of faith that could only have come from the centurion’s simple awareness of the Presence of God in Jesus Christ:
“After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people,
He entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly and who was ill and close to death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they appealed to Him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.’ 6 And Jesus went with them, but when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to Him, ‘Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof; 7 therefore I did not presume to come to You. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me, and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.’ 9 When Jesus heard this He was amazed at him, and, turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’ 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health’” Luke 7:1-10.
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