The Presence of God

As I write, it is mid-morning, and already I have accomplished quite a bit. I’ve dusted, enjoyed a short workout, swept the kitchen floor, put away the clean dishes, and removed some junk from the basement.

It must be drafting day.

If you laughed at the previous line … you might be a writer.

We writers are notorious for our productive procrastination. Cartoonist Asher Perlman describes it best with this one-panel gem:

Writing humor aside, all of us, regardless of vocation, have the capacity to let this same dynamic creep into our spiritual lives.

Seeking God’s Presence

In my last post, I wrote about the challenge that I have connecting with God through prayer. Although I’ve recently been more cognizant of my need to pray, and more intentional about doing so, it still isn’t where I connect best.

In that post, I also shared that writing is one of the activities where I often, and easily, experience God’s nearness.

So why shouldn’t I just sit down at my keyboard whenever I want to feel close to God? Because reducing God’s presence to a transactional, task-oriented practice blurs the line between the means and the end.

Timeless Wisdom from Brother Lawrence

I’ve been reading The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. The book is small enough to read in one sitting, but it is not designed for that purpose. I prefer to read (and reread) only an entry or two per week to meditate on each one.

Today I read, “Abandon any other concerns, including any special devotions you’ve taken as a means to an end. God is our ‘end.’ If we are diligently practicing His presence, we shouldn’t need our former ‘means.'”

So should I stop writing? Of course not, but I should also continue to seek God’s presence in prayer, in scripture, and in worship.

Similarly, I should not avoid writing, especially if doing so involves the whirlwind of procrastination techniques I mentioned at the top of the post.

This tension reminds me of the time when Jesus visited the home of Martha and Mary.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

Martha was busy with housework, and Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening. Martha complained, and Jesus responded by pointing out the rightness of Mary’s choice.

The Heart, Not the Hands

We should note, however, that Jesus didn’t condemn Martha’s actions. He sought to correct her perspective. Her work was beneficial, even necessary, but her heart was far from God’s presence, at least in that moment.

I have experienced such Martha moments in my own work. I’m sure many of you have as well, no matter the nature of your work.

Resolving the Contradiction

So do I let all of the necessary household tasks go and get right to writing? Or should I limit my engagement with my keyboard until I am certain I am perfectly centered in God’s presence?

Neither.

I doubt anyone can prescribe a formula, so I won’t even try. That said, I don’t think the answer is as simple as finding ‘balance.’ (Who else agrees that this is an overused and largely hollow word in our cultural lexicon?)

It’s about finding joy, contentment, and peace in God’s presence, no matter how He invites us in or what we are doing in that moment. Surely, our infinite and omnipresent God is not limited to showing up only one way.

Finding God’s Presence

If we limit our interaction with God to only a handful of tasks, we’re missing out. Yes, those intentional “Mary moments” where we sit and listen at Jesus’ feet are necessary. But His presence does not need to cease when we get up. Consider the words of David

Where can I go from your Spirit?

    Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

    if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

    your right hand will hold me fast. – Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV)

A casual reading of this Psalm might lead the reader to conclude that David wishes to hide from God. For years, I read these words that way, until I read them in the context of the whole psalm.

David sings of God’s infinite power to create, His meticulous attention to detail in forming each of us, and His intimate knowledge of us. Even the stanza I quoted lands with an acknowledgment of God’s care and provision.

When I leave church, say “amen,” or close my Bible, God remains with me. He’s with me when I mow my lawn, when I run a load of laundry, and when I sit down to write.

And when I acknowledge this wonderful truth, I find that I don’t have to do any of these things by my own strength. This is especially helpful when I consider God’s presence in my writing.

Putting God’s Presence into Practice

I write because God has called me to write. It helps that I also love to write. Just as it would be a danger to sit down at the keyboard and start typing in some vain hope to force God’s presence through my effort; it would be an equal but opposite flaw to seek His presence just for the sake of fueling my writing.

God is not a means to an end.

That, I believe, is one reason that God allows me to struggle with some of these posts. It’s why He puts some projects on hold and starts new ones. It’s why He allows me time in this season to work through my grief and experience His comfort away from the keyboard.

It’s His way of reminding me of what He told Paul as the apostle pleaded for Him to remove the thorn from his side:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9a (NIV)

There is nothing I can add to God’s grace. It is indeed wholly complete and sufficient for each of us.

In closing, I was compelled to write today upon reading the words of Brother Lawrence. I opened my keyboard not knowing what I would say, only trusting that the Spirit would guide me. Fitting then, that He would lead me to the place He shows me (and I need to be shown) over and over. The sufficiency of His grace.