Whether this Mother’s Day is a time of celebration or a reminder of loss, I pray the Spirit’s presence would be your joy and comfort.
If you’re new to this weekly message on prayer as a way of life, then welcome. I’m glad you’re here and spending a few minutes with me. Each week, I offer a prayerful thought, question, practice, resource . . . basically something you can take with you as you move into the week.
Last week I shared a simple, three-word prayer that opens our lives to what God is doing in this moment. This week, I want to focus on another dimension of that prayer, which involves a surrender of time . . .
Let’s take a deep breath and pray: “I Am Here.”
The truth is many of us spend our lives anywhere but the present, and the enemy of our souls likes it that way.
According to research done by Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert of Harvard University, we spend nearly half our waking hours disengaged from what we’re doing.
That’s a problem since we can’t actually live in the nonpresent, no matter how hard we try.
To be honest, I’ve struggled to be present this week, and I’ve often found myself praying these three words. There are, after all, thoughts and concerns that try to carry me toward whatever tomorrow may bring.
But Jesus tells us not to take on tomorrow’s concerns, that what we’ll need for tomorrow is found when we are here today. (Matthew 6:25–34)
Response
When we trust God with our future, God will open our hearts to whatever He’s asking us to do or what we need to learn or what we need to come to terms with here to get there.
“I Am Here.”
Closing Thoughts
A word of comfort—God has a way of multiplying time and giving it back to us when we trust him with it. This is, in a sense, what eternity is. So if much of your life has been lived in the nonpresent, let go of the shame, humble yourself before the Father of grace, repent, and trust God to do what only He can do with time.
Praying with you,
Addison
P.S. Is there anyone in your world who needs the Words with God book? Or maybe you need to take this moment to get a copy of your own? It’s available as a book, ebook, and audiobook. (Some of you have asked if I narrated the audiobook, and the answer is yes.)
