What do you remember about the beginning of your school day as a child? What elements of the morning come to mind? Maybe it’s a bus ride, or a walk to school. Do you remember the sounds of the hallways, and making your way to your classroom? Maybe you think about seeing your friends, getting seated and waiting for your teacher to begin class when the bell rung.

I’m sure you remember a mundane part of every morning, when the teacher would take attendance, right?
“Adam Anderson?” – “Here!”
“Betsy Bolling?” – “Here!”
“Carlton Collins?” – “Present and accounted for!”

Before class could begin, your teacher wanted to make sure she knew who was there, who was in the room, who was absent and who was present.

Being Present

What does being present mean? For a student, it means physical location. It indicates cognitive awareness, and it also indicates a submission to the presiding authority. “I am physically here. I am mentally here, and I acknowledge you as the one in charge.” The student is present. He is ready to learn.

When we, as Christians, come before God, when we seek to be present with Him, we need to do the same types of checks.

“Am I in a place where I can focus on God?”

“Am I mentally present, ready to focus on this time with Him?”

“Am I sitting under His authority, ready to learn, be corrected? Am I teachable in heart?”

There cannot be a quality of interaction, no growth in relationship if we are not present before our Great Teacher, our Master and Lord.

Living Distracted

I talk to people almost daily who are wrapped up in a lot of different worries, concerns and troubles. When we are preoccupied by these bothersome distractions, it can be very difficult to be present with God, right? When we are overwhelmed, we tend to focus on the cause or root of that overwhelming rather than on what may be right in front of us.

In those moments, what we need to focus on is our point of rescue, shelter and provision. God alone has everything we need: strength, wisdom, hope, peace…if we need it, He knows and He is the One to provide. But like Peter on the waves, our attention is distracted from Him, and we feel only ourselves sinking beneath the waves.

But sometimes, it doesn’t even have to be that serious. We can sit down for our daily quiet time with God, our phone is right there, and the scores from last night’s game pop up. Maybe an email from work that you’ve been hoping would come through drops in your inbox, or your sweet toddler child wakes up just a bit earlier than normal, and she suddenly shows up at your side.

Distractions happen every day, at all times of day, so how do we acknowledge them and still remain present with God.

Developing Rhythms

God made the sun to seem to rise in the morning and to set at night. It’s really the earth spinning and rotating around it, but it gives that appearance. It’s a created rhythm. We go to sleep at night, and Lord willing, in the morning we wake up. On Sundays, we gather in worship of Him, giving Him the first fruits of our week: time, talent and treasure. These are patterns that create regularity, rhythms that set the pace for our lives.

Steps to Focus

We need those, not only for our week as a whole, but also for our daily walk with Christ. If we know we’re going to get distracted, but we desire to be present, we can take a few simple steps to help that process along:

1. Choose a time and set an alarm until it’s a learned habit.
2. Choose a place, prepare it and make sure it’s as distraction-free as possible.
3. Leave your phone in another place. We can all do bible study and prayer without our phones. They are the main cause of distraction.
4. Make sure your family knows this is something you’re doing, and that you’re requesting 20-30 minutes of time to yourself for this purpose.
5. Keep a journal where you can track prayers, thanksgivings, and capture thoughts from your time in the Word.
6. Before you begin, prayerfully ask God to help you be present with Him. And then give that time to Him as worship. Sing a verse, or even a whole song that is near to your heart and that draws you toward God.
7. Thank God when you’re done, and ask Him to prepare your heart and mind for your next meeting.

It doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact it should be kept quite simple on purpose. Simplicity aids in focus. Draw near to God. In Christ, He is near to you. Be patient with yourself, but be intentional about this time with Him. He is present with all who have received His grace through faith in Christ.

Verses to Consider:

Proverbs 1:1-7 – “1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

² To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
³ to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
⁴ to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth—
⁵ Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
⁶ to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 1:33 – “But whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Psalm 119:10-11 – “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Galatians 5:16 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Exodus 33:14 – “And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”