How can we become more attentive to the presence of God? with Mark Argent
We’ll explore some of the ways people have found helpful to deepen their sense of the presence of God.
Occasionally that’s a powerful “mountain top” experience that turns life upside down and sends us off on new paths. But few of us could stand that happening very often, and experiences of God are usually much more gentle — often so gentle that they are easily missed.
Some people find stillness helps — that’s been described as “getting out of God’s way” or recognising that God is working when we’re not. Others talk of observing — gently attending to what is going on and gradually becoming more aware — as a place where meditation begins.
Many of the traditional ways of praying, such as imagining oneself into a Bible story, or staying with a passage of scripture, are also ways into stillness and attentiveness.
During the day we’ll spend some time together on screen, and some time away from our computers, praying, spending some time in stillness and some time attending to what is around us in our normal spaces.
We’ll use some of the readings of the day, Psalm 85, Hosea 1:11-2:15, and Luke 8:22-25 which tells of Jesus calming the storm:
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”
He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.
In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
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