God is near and listening

 

In this time of social distancing, we’re told that being near to someone other than those in the same household can be dangerous.  During my solo outings (my daily walks) I’ve noticed how people give each other greater space when passing in the streets, often well beyond the required six feet.  It feels awkward to stand or even walk closer to others these days.  We read about and hear that many people miss the closeness of others.  And here in California, many of us have lately been driven inside due to the smoke from the wildfires, the heat waves, or threat of physical altercations during protests, which has put even greater restraints on meeting and greeting our friends and neighbors.

And yet, when I was recently on a walk, I found myself spontaneously blessing and praying for a woman who seemed afraid that I was coming towards her on the same sidewalk.  I actually felt her fear and trepidation from a couple hundred feet away!  Even though I was physically distancing, in one way I felt closer to the stranger.  We’re all in this together.  And God is with us as well.  As Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:21)  

Consider these two thoughts together: “God is near us when we call upon Him,” (Psalm 145) and “The kingdom of God is in our midst.”  Perhaps the space we’re keeping between us can help us see that which has been here all along.  We can often lose sight of that which we hold too closely.  But even in our blindness to what is familiar, God is there.  And He’s listening.  A lifestyle of constant prayer is more necessary today than ever before in our lives.

"Constant prayer" isn’t an activity.  It's an attitude.  A God-first mindset.  It means that God is the first one we talk at the start of each day and we continually turn our minds toward him throughout the day. It means making a habit of asking Him, "And what do YOU think about this, Lord?"  It means constantly believing that "Thy will be done"; God's Divine Will is what we want for our lives.

"Constant prayer" is a frame of mind that humbly admits when we’ve sinned, while we genuinely want to become holier.  And it's a hunger to learn more about God and more about the teachings of Christ from Scripture and from the Church; a hunger that’s never quenched because we’re never satisfied with how much we understand at this moment.

“Constant prayer” opens us to hear Jesus talk to us.  It opens us to receive from the Holy Spirit whatever graces we need for each situation that threatens to steal our joy. It puts us safely into the lap of God our Loving Dad who envelops us with peace.  He doesn’t speak to us with the voice of the storm.  Satan does that.  God speaks to us with the voice of the quiet breeze (1 Kings 19:10-13).

Our vocal prayers are just the tip of the iceberg, and constant prayer is everything underneath it in the ocean of our love for Christ.  When we have this kind of foundation for our prayer lives, the Holy Spirit gives us Christ's words to speak boldly and the calmness of Christ to handle every backlash.