Devotion: Experiencing God’s Presence
Take a moment to read this weekend’s scripture: Genesis 3:1-13
I’ve always carried my problems like a weight only I can bear. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child. But honestly, it’s just how I’m wired. Even when I would talk things through with counselors, friends, or even parents, there was still this lingering belief that it’s up to me to figure it out. Just ask my parents how freely I share information.
In this week’s familiar scripture, we’re reminded that everything was perfect. Adam and Eve walked with God who provided everything they needed. But then came the lie. A whisper that they could be like God and know good and evil. So they reached for the fruit. Just like we reach for control, affection and security in our own lives.
And just like that, the perfect harmony was broken. Adam and Eve hid from God. Instead of trusting Him, they looked for their own way. They carried burdens they were never meant to bear.
Just like Adam and Eve, we’re trying to run ahead of God to do our good pursuits, whatever yours may be. Maybe you seek justice, hate scarcity and unmet needs, or get frustrated by conflict that destroys love.
In this week’s sermon in the series Greater Faith. Fewer Gaps, guest preacher Jimmy Carnes shared the analogy of being in a relay race where we’re holding the baton, forgetting God is there to hand it off to at any time. We cling to doing our good pursuits, running ourselves ragged, and only when we’re exhausted do we finally turn to God.
We forget that He’s not just watching from the sidelines. He’s running with us. He’s beside us, strengthening our steps. And He’s ahead of us, making the way.
Jimmy provided a tool to remind us of God’s presence. He calls it a Sabbath Rhythm. Something to remind us that God will provide in six days that we need in seven. What can it look like for you? These are just a few that I’m considering. I’m sure you can come up with your own.
- Sacred Creativity. Engage in a non-work creative exercise.
- Morning Stillness. Start the day with ten minutes of silence and scripture.
- Sunday Slow Down. Set aside a few hours one day a week where you do nothing related to your good pursuits.
- Community Sabbath. Share a meal with family or friends with no agenda.
- Commune with Nature. Take a walk. Have the morning coffee outside. (seasonal, of course)
- Gratitude Pause. Throughout the day stop and think of a few things you’re grateful for in that moment.
In those Sabbath Rhythms, let’s be reminded that God is always with us. And ahead of us. He will always provide.
Dear God,
Help me to remember we’re in this together. That I’m not running life’s race alone. Free me from carrying burdens that were never mine to hold. Teach me to pass the baton, trusting in Your presence. And to rest in the truth that You are always ahead of me.
Amen.
Written by Randy Hawthorne
Having a rivaled human network, Randy makes it his personal mission to connect those humans to their next big thing. Randy has decades of experience in the nonprofit industry, having served as a professional and volunteer in a variety of organizations.
He enjoys mentoring students and entrepreneurs, occasionally makes his way to a theater stage, geeks out on local history and goes on dining adventures.