2. A Sense of the Presence of God
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
Photo by Bill Williams on Unsplash
At Hampton Court in England there once was a large grapevine. The base was almost seven feet around, and the main vine was 122 feet long. Much time and care were spent in pruning the vine so that hundreds of clusters of deep purple grapes hung from it every year.
The Christian life is also a matter of roots and fruits. Unless we take time to be still and know that God is here, the roots will die and no fruits will be possible. Our Quaker friends speak of this as “practicing the presence.”
Many people today think that we should not waste time on prayer and meditation. Immediate action is required because our is a world filled with needs and concerns. We have been trying so hard to build a world full of love, joy, peace, and justice that we forget these are not products of our work. They are gifts of the Holy Spirit which come only as we pray for a sense of God’s presence. Strength for action comes from renewing our relationship with the source of our power.
We are just as dependent on God for spiritual life as the grapes in Hampton Court were upon the trunk of the vine.
For Reflection: Do I stop my frantic pace long enough to know God?
A Prayer Seed:
There is a place of quiet rest
Near to the heart of God,
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
Cleland B. McAfee, 1901
