Monday mornings are, at least for me, a mix of reflection and a desire to start the new week right by getting some practicalities out of the way. I think about Sunday’s services and reflect on what I might have done differently. I begin the process of preparing for next Sunday by writing a call to worship, selecting hymns, and writing an offertory prayer for the liturgist.
I think there is some of that “backward and forward” thinking in all of us when we start a new week. It’s natural to seek insights from the past to guide us in the future. Nothing wrong with that! But what about God? How, if at all, does God fit into all this?
I wonder if the strongest and best reflection on God might be remembering that our thoughts don’t hold God. God holds us. It’s a focus on presence rather than insight.
For some reason, Scripture keeps pointing us to something far more foundational than understanding: God is near. Not someday.
Not when we feel holy enough. Not when the path makes sense.
Now. Today. This very moment.
“The Lord is near to all who call on him…” (Psalm 145:18)
“Surely I am with you always…” (Matthew 28:20)
Insight is wonderful when it comes, but it’s not the anchor of our faith. Presence is. We don’t follow Jesus because we have it all figured out. We follow because he’s with us in the not-figured-out places.
Sometimes God’s nearness is loud—a clear word, a burst of joy, a moment of peace. But more often, his nearness is quiet—a steadying hand we can’t quite see, a comfort we can’t quite explain,
a whisper beneath the noise of our anxious thoughts.
We think we need insight to move forward. God knows we need his divine presence to keep breathing. Insight may illuminate a moment, but presence carries us through a lifetime.
So when you feel lost, when prayer feels thin, when tomorrow feels uncertain, we don’t need new revelations. We need the old, unchanging truths. God is near. God is faithful.
We will still search for insight. It’s in our human nature. The human drive for understanding is a gift from God. But every now and then, let God’s presence be enough.
Prayer: Lord, draw my attention to your nearness. Quiet the noise that insists I must understand everything. Teach me to rest, not in answers but in your presence. Amen.
