The power and presence of God in the
world is love. Whenever I see love, I see God’s hand at work.
Many people accuse God of creating the world and then abandoning it.
They complain that He is hiding from our eyes. If it’s true that God is
hiding, He is hiding in plain sight. The problem isn’t an invisible
God. It’s eyes that don’t see and ears that don’t hear.
I hear his voice in the sound of laughter and joy. I see the beauty of
God’s pallet painted in the sunset. I see his infinite power in the
billions of galaxies that He created and hurled into space. I feel his
care in the warmth of the sun that shines on my face. I see the twinkle
in his eyes in the stars at night. I see reflections of his power in
the lightning and hear echoes of his power in the thunder. Every time a
baby is born, I know that God hasn’t given up on the human race. I hear
God speak in the silence of the wilderness. I hear God sing in the
songs that He gave to each bird. I feel God’s love in the love that I
have for my own children.
All of these are ways that God speaks to me. Everywhere and at all
times, God is at work in my world. Although He speaks quietly, I can
hear his message of love when I become silent and listen.
Practicing God's presence may seem difficult at first. That is
normal.
When you first start looking and listening for signs of God's love, your
hearing will seem dull, and your vision will be dim. But if you
continue, his voice of love will become louder and your vision will
improve.
When you practice God's presence, you experience his love. You
feel the power of his love flowing through you to other people.
Each time you give love and assistance to the needy, the sick, the
downtrodden, and the dispossessed, you practice the presence of God.
You actually experience his presence when you love other people, and you
experience his power by allowing his love to flow through you to others.
When God's love flows through you, it heals both you and the other
person.
When you practice the presence of god, your whole life becomes
reorganized around the central fact that God is at work in you and
through you by the power of his love.
Practicing the presence of God is not just for saints. It's for
everyone. You don't have to wait until you are older and wiser
before you can have God's presence in your life. In fact, God
specializes in transforming the lives of the young and foolish so they
live long enough to become old and wise.
God has a plan for your life that is better than anything you can
imagine. God has power for your life that is far greater than any
of your problems. God is present in your life even if you don't
know He is there. It's time for you to wake up and live.
