QUIET TIME TOOLBOX
Experiencing God's Presence
What can we do in those times when we don’t feel as if God is with us? When it seems as if our prayers are just bouncing off the ceiling? Often the saints of old talked of meditating upon the omnipresence of God as a way of connecting with the reality that He was with them. In the 7th century Patrick of Ireland ended one such time with these words:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
The next time you feel a bit bored with who God is, or question the reality of His presence with you, choose one of the following and ponder it, contemplating its truths. Then, welcome Him afresh to meet with you, His child.
CHRIST ABOVE ME
Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
Job 11:7
The LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty…Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting. Psalm 93:1-3
CHRIST WITHIN ME
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27
…He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Romans 8:11
CHRIST BENEATH ME
For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God. Psalm 18:31
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that hovers over its young, He spread His wings and caught them, He carried them on His pinions. Deuteronomy 32:11
CHRIST BESIDE ME
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good. Psalm 73:28
I have set the LORD continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8
