It is important in the spiritual life to be with God always throughout our day, inasmuch as we can continuously be aware of His Holy Presence. Now many will push back against such a thing because of “busy-ness” and because of the appearances of the lack of necessity for such a continuous awareness of God. The argument suggests that continuously trying to be aware of God’s Presence is just naive and unrealistic. Nevertheless this is the challenge of our life because we all notice what happens when we put off being aware of God’s Presence. We quickly end up trying to live as if the Presence of our Loving Lord is merely a great option at our disposal only when we need Him! This is “faucet spirituality” wherein we turn God on and off as we need Him, using God and turning to God much as we do a water faucet when in need of water. But we deceive ourselves when we think and believe we can just turn God on and off — as needed! Instead, we need to be honest with God and with ourselves and admit that we are never in control of God, never able to turn Him on when we need Him, only to turn Him off when we don’t! This mistakenly leaves us believing that we are in control of God, when in fact Our Lord is the Hound of Heaven who comes to us according to His infinite love and grace.
The beginning of living each day continuously aware of the Presence of God lies in our daily prayer, Scripture meditation, and our silent presence with God who is actually and truly Present to us. This acts as our Garden of Life to which we return frequently throughout he day to water and savor the beauty and the slow but noticeable growth taking place. This prayer time gives us opportunity to observe and open ourselves up to God, our Master Gardener, who prunes and trims us to His liking and specifications. Indeed this daily prayer time is the foundation and beginning of each day. So pray that we may all work in our gardens, watching and listening and loving all that the Master Gardener, Jesus Christ, is doing in our lives. Pray that we may not deceive ourselves by stepping out of the garden and ignoring it for a spell, or worse, for a season. Instead pray that we may all commit daily and throughout our day to be present continuously to the Master Gardener who is working in the garden of our lives.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being” 2 Corinthians 5:17!
“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” Ezekiel 36:26.
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” Galatians 2:20.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2.
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you” Psalm 51:10-13.
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