Mindfulness and Christian Spirituality by Tim Stead

Author:Tim Stead
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SPCK

7

Knowing God’s presence

A good starting point for having the confidence to ‘just be’, we might say, is to know that God is ‘just being’ here with me. So, here I am, ready to write and my mind is all over the place (again): replaying a conversation I had earlier in the day, thinking about what I might have for lunch, drifting and dreaming. Where is God? Why isn’t God here with me helping me to write?

The answer, of course, is obvious when we put it like that. God is here – but I am not. And as we have already seen, God is always here but only here now. It is no good trying to book an appointment to see God tomorrow morning at 11.30. The divine watch will no doubt be removed from the divine pocket and after a cursory glance God will say something like, ‘Mmm, so what are you doing now? It so happens that I am free!’ But oh no, I am not free. I am not here now at all but am busy with many things in the past and in the future. I am thinking about what I am going to do this afternoon and wondering what the weather will be like and any number of important matters. I do not have time for God now. But I think I might be able to create some space tomorrow morning at 11.30 (maybe!).

The idea of a sense or experience of God’s presence can be difficult for some Christians. If people have had a powerful sense of God’s presence in the past they may look to this as a defining moment. Others can feel a bit bereft, having never felt they have experienced God in this way; they may find meaning in thoughts about God rather than in experiences of God. But whether one has felt a sense of God in the past or has profound thoughts about God now matters little if one is not experiencing God’s presence in the here and now. As the evangelist J. John once said: ‘I’m not talking about “pie in the sky when you die”. I’m talking about “steak on the plate while you wait”!’ What a great one-liner (unless you are a vegetarian). It’s all about here and now and if we are not experiencing God’s presence with us now, then we are not experiencing God’s presence at all.

The clue is in the word ‘presence’. God is only and will only ever be in the present moment for us. ‘The right time has come – the kingdom of God is near’, Jesus said. ‘Do not worry about tomorrow.’ ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ The emphasis each time is on the here and now. It is in this moment that we may experience God and in no other. And according the Frantic World scheme, it is also through learning to be in this moment that we experience more of the ‘being’ mode.

Why do we find this so

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