Present in the Moment

Pause:

Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus. 

Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.

Read:

Isaiah 43v 16-19: “This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Going Deeper:

Throughout this time in Lockdown I have found it quite difficult to be present in the moment. 

Half of me keeps thinking about life before Corona, longing for the good old days, nostalgically pining for what used to be. Missing life’s simple pleasures like getting a takeaway coffee, hosting friends around my dining room table and walking along the promenade enjoying the sea view. 

At the same time the other half of me keeps looking to the future, obsessed with what life will be like on the other side of Lockdown. Sometimes the desperation inside of me feels overwhelming, I just want to be out of this situation and season. 

Ironically isn’t this how we often feel in life, even outside of Lockdowns and global pandemics? 

We battle to be present in the moment we find ourselves in, so often yearning for some magical event in our past or exciting milestone in our future. We have always had to fight these distractions in order to be present in our current seasons, to be present in what God is doing in our lives right now.

And so I guess this begs the question, are we being present with God during this season? Have we taken the time to consider what God is wanting to do in and through our lives at this time? 

It would be so easy for us to be distracted by nostalgia of the past, or our plans for the future. To be distracted by our current circumstances and situations, and by the anxieties and fears that they bring. To be distracted by our screens, social media and other forms of escapism in attempt to remain numb until this peculiar time we find ourselves in ends. 

Will we choose to instead pay attention to what God is doing with us now?

He is here and he is present, he is inviting us into his presence. He wants to speak to us, to renew and refresh us, to change our hearts helping us become more like him. He wants to draw us closer to him, into a deeper and more intimate relationship with him. He wants to meet us where we are at, in whatever wilderness we may or may not find ourselves in. He wants to bring his life into the areas of our lives that are tired, dry and weary, areas that feel like wastelands. 

Will we seek and prioritise God’s presence? There is no doubt in my mind that we won’t want to miss out on what he wants to do.

In Isaiah 43v16-17, we read a paraphrased account of the time that God parted the Red Sea allowing his people, the Israelites, to leave the land of Egypt and with it their slavery to the Egyptians.

Lawrence Kushner, a Jewish teacher writes about this miracle saying: “Jewish tradition says that the splitting of the Red Sea was the greatest miracle ever performed... And yet we have one [account of this story] that mentions two Israelites, Reuven and Shimon, who had a different experience. Apparently the bottom of the sea, though safe to walk on, was not completely dry but a little muddy, like a beach at low tide. Reuven stepped into it and curled his lip. “What is this muck?” Shimon scowled, “There’s mud all over the place!” “This is just like the slime pits of Egypt!” replied Reuven. “What’s the difference?” complained Shimon. “Mud here, mud there; it’s all the same.” And so it went for the two of them, grumbling all the way across the bottom of the sea. And, because they never once looked up, they never understood why on the distant shore, everyone else was singing songs of praise. For Reuven and Shimon the miracle never happened.”

For many, crossing the Red Sea was a significant moment in their walk with God. But for two Israelites who were dwelling on their past and current circumstances, instead of looking to God and seeing the very miracle he was enacting in their midst, they missed the moment completely.

Let us not miss out on what God is wanting to do in our lives, at this time. 

God invites us into his presence, he wants to spend time with us and speak to us. He wants to be at work in our hearts, he wants us to grow in our relationship with him. 

Pray:

Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to your from this passage this morning.

Listen:

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you right now?

Apply:

What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?