Experiencing God's Presence #341

Experiencing God's Presence #341

Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.

Ephesians 5:15

Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living. That’s the heart behind the “prayer of examen,” a spiritual practice of looking back each evening at the events of the day. What gifts and joys were worthy of my gratitude on that day? What careless words and actions might require confession and repentance? How did the Spirit lead, and did I follow Him well? The reflection can result in a treasure hunt of God-moments, retrospectively. It’s a way of examining life in order to live it wisely and worshipfully.

One of the most encouraging aspects of a prayer of examen is seeing where God was in each moment of the day. The ever-present Father was somehow in every moment of each circumstance, but what was He doing? What signs of His Presence did we miss? What patterns of His Presence show up only in retrospect? What does His work in our lives seem to be pointing toward? What was He wanting to do through us in each situation to represent Him to others? When we ask these questions and hear the Spirit speak to us about them, God’s purposes for our circumstances are often unveiled for us. In that sense, looking back can be one of the best ways to look forward.

Look back over your last twenty-four hours. What has God been doing in your life? Where was He in that disappointment you faced or that bright idea that popped into your head? What divine appointments did He arrange? How might He have wanted to reveal Himself and His goodness in each situation? The answers to those questions may convert discouragements into encouragements, closed doors into open ones, distractions into directions. And they will probably reveal His Presence in a new way.

Lord, where were You in my last few hours? I want to see. Show me what You have been doing so I’ll know where You are leading. And thank You for every moment of Your Presence.