#49: Be Present With the Lord

There are so many things you do in your life that are done with no thought. They are so routine that you could do them with your eyes closed. 

Dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and many other household chores are everyday tasks that take no thought. Have you ever been driving down a familiar street and realized you were automatically making turns you did not intend to make? I have! At this moment, I have turned off my brain and was just going through the motions.

This is something that happens with activities I do on a daily basis, and my time with the Lord is at risk of becoming routine. It has the potential to become something that I give no attention to.

Falling into a routine is easy. In Old Testament times the ritual of sacrifice could have become routine and without meaning. It was supposed to be highly symbolic and meaningful; an act to reconnect a sinful man to a forgiving God, but since it was done regularly it had the potential to be done without thought.

Leviticus 4:3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering. 

Has your time with the Lord become a ritual of repetition with no meaning? Get coffee. Open your Bible. Read. Pray. Done. Repeat.

Where is your attention when you open your Bible and when you talk to your God? Would it help if we considered our “attention” is a beautiful gift we give to the Lord? This could possibly one of the greatest gifts you can give Him. Give Him your attention. Give Him your presence.

Proverbs 18:16 A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. 

When you are focused and attentive to the Lord during your devotional time, you will grow in your love for Him. When you are “going through the motions,” He becomes one of your many tasks, and you will not have new experiences to speak of His great love. You will only be able to “check” Him off your to-do list.

Psalms 44:8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. 

Think about the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. Mary had her attention on the Lord. She had a complete focus and desire to be near to Him. She wanted to be present and in his presence.

Luke 10:39-40 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 

Are you cumbered with much to do and spending time with the Lord has been relegated to just a task? Don’t make Him one of your “tasks.” Make him your Lord; desire that special time with Him. Curl up at His feet and learn from Him. Every day, direct your attention and devotion toward Him.

Related Bible Passages:

Leviticus 4
Psalms 44
Proverbs 18
Luke 10

Have a face to face conversation with your Lord:

Lord, is my time with you a chore and just something on my to-do list?

Lord, am I focused on you during my devotion time? Is my attention on you?

Lord, how do I create peace and how do I create turmoil in my relationship? 

Lord, I don’t want spending time with you to be merely a “task.” I want to see your face and absorb your words .

If you are interested in having a collection of these devotional conversations, consider purchasing the devotional book, Conversations: Face to Face with Your Lord Book 1 or Conversations: Face to Face with Your Lord Book 2. Book 3 is coming soon! They are available from Amazon by clicking on the titles above.