God in the present

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
~ Philippians 4:6

Something that I have been struggling to do lately is to live in the present.  I seem to be reacting to a number of things.  Both my parents have been struggling with COVID, with my father being admitted to the hospital for a period of time to help him with symptoms.  It seems that there is an overwhelming presence of uneasiness everywhere I turn.

I have replayed in my mind over and over the words that Paul wrote to the Philippians to, "Not be anxious for anything," while listening to my father share about his anxiety of not being able to breathe.  (Philippians 4:6)

I have to remind myself that God is the God of the present.  When Moses encounters the burning bush, he asks what God's name is?  The bush responds that God is simply "I am."  A reminder that God is not focused on the past, or what will be.  God is a God of the present.

God lives in our moments with us.  As we wait for a call.  When we wander along unknown pathways.  Or when we find that we fail to recognize the present.

I spend most of my days talking with hospice patients about the past.  Rarely do we talk about the present, but when I encounter people who are living in the present, it is amazing what I often learn.  

I'm so thankful that God is not someone who was or will be, but the One who is, and who is for us in the present moment.

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2020