He called upon the LORD, and he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
David builds an altar, and God answers David’s call with a consuming fire. Chronicles is more than a story of what people did during this time, but also of God showing up at any time. The accompanying refection focuses on God’s everyday presence, and asks where have I seen God’s presence in the everyday. How do I recognize thy kingdom come on earth?
I’ll start with the obvious. Every morning when I wake up, have my coffee, sit in my prayer chair and stare out the window, I sense God’s presence and throw up a brief ‘thank you’. Even on the toughest days, this moment is sacred. The nice thing is that it’s a sacred certainty because I’ve made it one. By doing this sitting, praying, reflecting and writing nearly daily, the space and time are steeped in the holy. When I don’t start my day this way, I’ve missed that special time. And it’s not the same if I come back mid-day. There’s something about this intentional time that makes it a God moment.
Throughout my day, there are episodic moments where God’s presence is apparent, but I do walk through my days without that sense of God’s watchful eye on me. If I stop to think about it, I almost always can assent to that idea. But frequently, I don’t stop so I just walk blindly through my day.
How might I build in more prompts, like my morning prayer time, to remind me of God’s oversight throughout the day? I know habits are built and strengthened, so perhaps I could think of something I do every day already, and make an intentional connection with God.
When I pick up my phone to look at the news, maybe I could think about God’s presence throughout the world and in those news stories. The prompt is already there, as I do pick up my phone throughout the day. Maybe when I see the wind blowing the trees as they are now, I could relate that to the Holy Spirit’s presence. When my watch prompts me to breath, maybe that’s a prompt. I had a colleague who’d set up his phone to chime on the hour, and regardless of where he was or what he was doing, he’d use that as a prompt. The possibilities are endless, especially with a smart phone.
This morning, I’m thinking about how to add more prompts in my day to remind me of God’s ever-presence.
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