Basking in God's Presence

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed [focused] on You,

because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3).



When I was young, I never even heard the term “multi-tasking.” Now that I’m in my (early) sixties, I’ve become an expert at it. What’s wrong with this picture? Shouldn’t I be slowing down as I age, rather than accelerating to warp-speed? Of course, it might not be so bad if I were actually getting more done, but… Well, I think you get my drift because I’m sure a lot of you are in the same situation.

Life is WAY too busy, isn’t it? With all our modern conveniences and expensive gadgets, the “simple life” has nearly faded into a nostalgic memory, a casualty of the “do-more-but-accomplish-less” generation. Seriously! We get up before daylight and skip breakfast so we can “relax” on the golf course, but we’ve forgotten how to sit on the porch and watch the sunrise. We squeeze in three committee meetings weekly but can’t find time to visit a neighbor. We manage to watch every episode of “24” but can scarcely find time for daily prayer and Bible study.

May I repeat the question: What is wrong with this picture?

The answer is sad but clear, particularly as it applies to those of us who call ourselves Christians: We do not believe what we say we believe.

We say that “apart from God we can do nothing,” but we spend our days apart from Him, trying to accomplish all sorts of things on our own.

We say that we love God and others more than we love ourselves, but we dedicate our time to serving self.

We say He is our peace—and yet we have none.

Why?

The prophet Isaiah spelled it out for us: If we have no peace, it is because our minds are not focused on God and we don’t trust Him. I wish I could find a way around that truth, but there is none. If we have no peace in our lives, it is because we have been sucked into the black hole of lies that contradict the truth of God’s Word and tell us that it’s all up to us and we’d better do/be/experience all we can while we can. The only way to escape that black hole is to consciously reject the lies and begin once again to flood our minds with the Scriptures—read them, meditate on them, memorize them, and act on them. It may not change our circumstances or erase our problems or diminish our responsibilities, but it will replace our pointless busyness with focused purpose. With that comes “joy unspeakable” and a “peace that passes all understanding.”

Time is short, beloved. Don’t waste it on pursuits that have no purpose or promise of eternal value. I, for one, do not want to breathe my last having wasted my life on empty activities instead of giving it away to honor God and serve others.

May the peace that comes only from basking in His sweet presence envelop you this day and always….



***Please take a moment to visit my website at www.kathimacias.com to sign my guestbook or leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win one of my new books. Please check out my new blog as well: http://kathieasywritermacias.blogspot.com.



***Also, please visit www.setfreetoday.com, where I serve as Spiritual Director. Come as you are…leave with a new beginning! Drop us a note or prayer request while you’re there.