Thinking about God

If you believe in the Christian God then you believe in a God who is always, eternally present. There is no moment of our brief lives where God isn't just right there, right by us, or in us, or with us. 'The Word is very near you' Moses tells us in the book of Deuteronomy. 'Lo, I will be with you, even until the end of the age' Jesus tells us at the end of the Gospel of Matthew.

Do you feel that? Is it a part of your daily life to know and feel that God is right there?

As I wrote two weeks ago, I have been rereading St. Augustine's Confessions. In many ways, he tells the story of his life through the lens of the parable of the prodigal son. He once was lost but now is found.

Through the first two thirds of the book he looks over the course of his life from the perspective of his older, mature faith. He was about forty when he wrote the book and narrates his life from birth up until his return to Africa from Milan at age thirty three. As he looks back, he never asks 'where were you God?' Instead, he asks over and over 'where was I?'

Where are you? Are you present to God? There is no one I know who can answer 'yes, I am completely present to God 100% of the time.' But I believe and have experienced for myself that, over time, we can develop an awareness of God's presence that slowly permeates more and more of our lives. The practices of worship, prayer and service, together with others in Christian community, is the best way I know how to learn to say 'yes' to God's presence right here, right now.