Pastoral Pearls: God's Presence
Be present to the presence of God within you. ~ Maria Gullo
These words are within a guided meditation I do, through an app called “Insight Timer,” called “Morning Contemplative Prayer Welcoming the Holy Spirit.” I absolutely love that simple reminder that God is always there with me, whether I notice him or not. I see “God within me” as that still small voice of God that resides in my heart at all times, if I but listen and pay attention. Sounds easy. Yet in the mad chaotic pace that life can so often take, with so many things to distract me, I can bury that “Still, small voice,” and get sucked into the guidance that comes from the world around me, instead.
So just how do I “Be present to the presence of God within me,” when life is so loud? This guided meditation identifies so many ways to do that, and when I repeat each of those aloud, they become more ingrained in how I respond to life.
One way to begin, too, is just to acknowledge that I know God is there with me, and ask for guidance, then listen. “Good morning, God. Thank you for being here, and where are you taking me today?” This opens my heart up to receive God’s guidance, which validates God’s presence in me.
Another way is to take some cues from the image above. It describes a process, with Jesus at the center. “Breathe and be in the Now > Feel, Sense, Accept > Attend (pay attention), Allow, Observe, TRUST (that can be the hard one) > Appreciate, Take Time to Notice what happens > Tune into my Body to see if it feels right, listen. This walks me through how to be present, especially to God’s presence within me. And “God’s Presence within me” validates the importance of paying attention to my own intuition, as that is God’s presence and guidance for me. Find ways to allow God’s presence to be experienced in you too.
Loving God, thank you for always being present in me, guiding me from my heart.
May I truly embrace you as you are present with me, acknowledging what God, through my Intuition, is try to tell me.
Holy Spirit, help me to make time to go through the process provided to see if this will show me the answers I am looking for, and a way to be present to God’s presence within me.
~ Amen