Be Present with God

Lord,
I am often caught between
longing for the joys of my college days
(good friends, good learning, strong mentors, spiritual growth)
and my imagined future
(deeper friendships, financial security, life changing ministries).

You know I struggle to be
in the present fully
enjoying what you, Lord,
have put right in front of me.

I was reminded this week in a blog post from: http://mattham.com/2015/11/distant/
Matt Ham writes:

"I believe God seems distant to so many of us because the modern-day plague of our culture is the abandonment of the here and now. We eagerly trade every gift of the present for some far-off future promise—we live in constant pursuit of the rainbow's end. Or, we abandon the opportunity of the present for the regret of the past.

Inevitably, we spend our days relishing in the past or relentlessly chasing our future. It's no wonder God seems distant."

Lord,
remind me
to look right in front of me
and be present in this moment,
your moment,
the place where 

"once was" and "will be" 

collide.
Amen.


Be present to God today:

• Turn off your cellphone
• Be still
• Watch the sunrise
• Pray
• Take a walk outside
• Read Psalm 46

Richness and rest
intimacy and peace
contentment and joy
can only be found in the present.

_______________
thoughts in this prayer adapted from http://mattham.com/2015/11/distant/