Practicing the Presence of God

All too often people expect God to reveal himself like he did to Moses on Mt. Sinai in the burning bush or wrestle with Jacob in the middle of the night. These grand epiphanies do not happen very often. However, if we are not careful we can go through life and not realize that God is constantly revealing himself to us through his creatures and creation; this is what some spiritual writers and saints have called practicing the presence of God or seeing God in the everyday.

Yesterday I was taking a walk with my dog in the snow. Everything looked so pristine and crisp and clean, little icicles hanging off of trees, blankets of snow in the fields, and birds hunting around for something to eat. If I was in a rush I would have neglected to notice the goodness of creation, that God created the stars in the sky and the trees and the animals. Yesterday I stopped for a moment and realized that despite the fact that I don't enjoy either shoveling snow or driving in it, I did enjoy the gorgeous landscape and the sun shimmering over the snow capped wheat fields nearby. Yesterday I experienced the goodness of creation---remembering that all of this is a gift from God. This is what practicing the presence of God means, always remembering God each and every day.

What do you notice about creation?

How do you see God in everyday things?

How do you practice the presence of God?