How to Practice the Presence of God

Do you find yourself fretting over the future? Getting older? The stock market? No matter how well we develop our personal power, there will always be situations that are beyond our control that can cause us to be anxious. However, there is a supernatural power available to each of us to help us deal with the unknowns in life. It is the third component in our series on taming our unruly minds.

Perhaps, like me, you were raised in a family where there was a lot of drama, discord, and chaos. When children are raised in this type of environment, they become anxious, worried, and fearful. We learn to ruminate over our problems. Yet this is not the way we were meant to live and somehow, deep inside, we know it. We yearn for peace but often we search for it in the wrong places.

As a young woman attending a Jesuit college, I was required to take a course in theology. I began to read the Bible and learn about the power of prayer. Prayer is our supernatural weapon to combat anxiety, stress, and overwhelm. Prayer is more powerful than we realize.  When we take our concerns to God in prayer, we shift our focus from our circumstances to the One who controls our circumstances. The result is less anxiety and fretfulness and more peace of mind.

Today, prayer plays an integral part of my daily life. When something upsetting happens, rather than get all riled up like I used to, I say a prayer. If I am on the phone awaiting an answer in my favor, I pray. When the weather report is ominous, I pray. When a child calls and says they have bad news, I pray. I lift every issue, every concern, every decision up to God. I have learned I cannot and need not carry all these burdens on my shoulders. God's shoulders are much more capable. We were made to depend on God.

Praying is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of Faith and Faith is pleasing to God. This is what Thomas a Kempis and Brother Lawrence refer to as "practicing the presence of God". It means maintaining an ongoing connection with God throughout the day and keeps us focused, centered, and at peace.

When we have problems without solutions - pray.

When we are afraid, worried, or discouraged - pray.
When the trials of life overwhelm us - pray.
When the joys of today please us - pray.
When we don't know what to do about a situation - pray.

Prayer activates the power of God in your life. Never think that God is too busy to listen to your prayers or that He isn't interested.  He always has time to listen and his line is never busy. You can talk to God anytime, anywhere. Just as a parent loves to hear from her child, God is delighted when we talk to him through prayer.

What is it that you need divine intervention with? A relationship? A health issue? A job concern? God has your back. God is on your side and when we bring our worries to him, he acts in supernatural ways. Try it and see.

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So go ahead and give prayer a try.  See what a difference it makes.

Until next time,

Keep looking up!

Ariel Paz