Saturday, April 30, 2011

God in Every Moment

By Charlotte Lowrie

I often hear sermons about waiting for “God to show up.” When I hear these sermons, I am inevitably confused. I believe that God shows up in every moment of life. There is no waiting. He said that He will never leave us or forsake us, and I take that promise literally. I believe that it means He will be present in every moment of every day of my life.

This is important because for many years, I was determined to live my life myself—all by myself. Independence was the watchword of my life. I trusted no one except myself. After I found Christ, one of the first changes in my life was turning over everything in my life to Christ. Relinquishing control over my life required complete trust in Him.

Through the years, day-by-day, challenge-by-challenge, I've found Him to be wise beyond human understanding. His decisions are sometimes beyond my understanding, and they are always perfect. The impossible becomes possible, not once, but over and over again. Ordinary moments became extraordinary as I learn of His love. Moments are also extraordinary as I also experience His marvelous sense of humor. Periodically, I still remind Him that He's invited to be in every moment and every aspect of my life. And, once invited, He is there faithfully. I never have to wait.

Does this mean that everything goes perfectly in my life? Far from it. I know that there are many things that He has to teach me that involve changes and challenges. And in the course of an average day, I make mistakes. But because He is in every moment of life, I can immediately talk to Him about the mistakes and learn from them. And we, together and in that moment, can move on from that place.

After all these years, I can imagine my life no other way. I never wait for God to show up. I know that He is there in every moment, just as He promised.

For me, a moment without God is a moment without breath. I pray that He is in every moment of your life as well.