Current Read

God is Closer Than You Think, John Ortberg

Frederick Buechner writes, "There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not...because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace." How close has God come? So close that, as Thomas a Kempis put it, "every creature will be to you a mirror of life and a book of holy doctrine." So close that, in the words of Jean Pierre de Caussade, "each moment is a revelation from God. " So close that he can flow in and through your life from one moment to the next like a river. So close that your heart will be beating with life because Someone is walking around in there. God is closer than you think. (pg. 23)

"Sitting at Jesus' feet" does not mean passively waiting. Often Jesus' desire for us is that we will be active, choosing, risking, stretching and doing. But it does mean recognizing that he is present here and now, and we don't have to pretend we control the universe anymore. (pg. 61)

...try to arrange-as early as you can after you wake up-to have just a few minutes alone with God. Do three things:

1. Acknowledge your dependence on God. I won't live through this day banking on my own strength and power.

2. Tell God about your concerns for the day, and ask him to identify and remove any fear in you. I often do this with my calendar for the day open before me.

3. Renew your invitation for God to spend the day with you.

As the psalmist wrote, "In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (pg. 75)