And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them.”
Revelations 21:3
Henri Nouwen said, “To live in the present, we must believe deeply that what is most important is the here and the now.”
The here and the now is not an easy time for any of us these days. Few have lived through times of disruption like those we face today, and it is not easy to remain focused on the present moment. We know what we are being advised to do, we know how we are expected to respond, but we are afraid of what the future might hold.
However, God assures us that He is with us in the here and now. We are His people and He waits to hear our prayers and then respond with His comfort. Be still. Listen to His voice of love and guidance. He is among us. We can be fully in the present moment when we quiet our minds and pray and listen.
Many times our intentions are good, but we are a restless people. God knows that. Use a simple statement to quiet yourself. May I suggest that you repeat the phrase “God is Love” many times to get into the here and the now.
Draw Ever Closer
, page 86, Henri J. M. Nouwen, 2020.
The Rev. Gill Keyworth
Deacon
