“Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” One of Jesus’ final promises and blessings to His disciples was to be present — to be with them always. Every moment, God is present with us. Yet, it is so easy for us to not live in this reality. Trying to do much, we can become frantic, rushing from one thing to another with no sense of God with us, and us with God.
Many Bible passages call and invite us to live, minute by minute, with minds and hearts fixed upon our God and Savior — “Abide in me,” “Pray continuously,” “Set your minds on things above,” “Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,” etc. So often busyness, anxiety, entertainment, planning, self-focus, stresses, and other distractions pull us away from living right now in the reality of God being ever with us, and us with God. It is possible for these distracted habits to mean that we are also not fully engaged with others, not aware of our surroundings, and not in touch with our own selves and how we are really doing.
This activity is a simple exercise in slowing down and practicing being present with the God who is always with us, and being present with what is going on around us.
Set aside at least 30 minutes for this activity.
- Go out somewhere you won’t be distracted or disturbed. You can sit or walk slowly for this time.
- Take some time to be still and dwell on the promise of God that He is always present with us.
- Next, seek to be aware of your surroundings… What can you see around you? What can you hear? What can you smell? What can you touch? What can you taste? What can you sense? Linger in this step for several minutes — it may be helpful to set a timer for about 15 minutes. Don’t worry about analyzing what you notice, just seek to rest and be present to what is actually around you here and now. If you find your mind wandering, simply gently return your focus to what’s actually around you.
- After a time, take a few moments to prayerfully reflect — how was it for you to become more attentive to your surroundings and not rush through nature? Are there any other reflections from this time that would be good to bring before God and pray through? It may be helpful to journal some of your thoughts or reflections.
Optional additions
- Take some time to stay with one thing you encounter (a flower, a bird, a stream). Seek to engage all your senses with one thing, as much as possible. If helpful, set a timer for about 10 minutes for this portion.
- Take some time to stay with one sense (hearing, smell, seeing, etc.). Selectively practice only that one sense for a few minutes. If helpful, set a timer for about 10 minutes for this portion.
- If your time led you to not only be aware of and present with nature, but also aware of other people, how does this time prompt loving prayer for those people? Take some time for intercession.
Once you are finished, close the exercise with prayer.
Group Option
This activity can be done in a small group (2 to 4 people) fairly easily. Decide together on your location/walking route. Pray together, committing the time to God.
Set a quiet timer for about 15 minutes. During this time, silently do the basic activity as described above. If walking together, make sure to set a slow pace and wait for one another as needed. Don’t rush.
After the first time period, take a few minutes to share with one another any reflections you have.
For the second time period, have each person choose one of the additional options above — staying with a single item or with a single sense. Each person can choose a different item/sense, you do not need to do the same thing as others. Based on your choices, you may or may not need to split up to do this portion individually. Set a timer for about 10 minutes for this portion.
After the second time period, take a few minutes to share with one another any reflections you have. It may also be helpful to individually journal some of your thoughts or reflections.
Close the time together with prayer.