Psalm 42:2

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2. 


Working at a church is such an amazing job. I get paid to write sermons, read books, meet people and build relationships, take people (or be taken) out for meals, etc. When a friend or my mentor ask me how my spiritual disciplines are going I have to stop and think, "Oh crap! I haven't stopped to pray today or sit at Jesus' feet and listen." 


I get so caught up in the "work" and talking about God and "doing" things for God that I forget to spend time with God. For instance, let's look at today.


9:30 Spend time with my host family as we take my car to the repair shop to get brakes then head over to the farmer's market to pick up blueberries and peaches. My host likes to talk about God and so most of our conversations revolve around God and the church.
10:30 Get to the office. Read a multitude of blogs, mostly by Christian authors, a majority of which revolved around God and the church. 
11:30 Continue to work on my sermon (which I will preach on July 18th). This involved reading scripture (God's Word) and thinking over certain ideas and the message I am feeling God wants me to share.
2:00 Meet with my mentor to discuss what I have of my sermon so far and how to effectively deliver that great content that I have. 
3:00 Continue reading commentaries and other sources on my scripture text for my sermon then switch to writing letters to congress-people about social justice issues I am passionate about. 
4:30 Go home to then ponder my day and rest. 
6:00 Eat dinner with my host family (building that relationship) and then leave with them to go to our small group that just started tonight.
7:00 START>Becoming a Good Samaritan small group in which we discuss social justice issues and how we can do good in our communities. 


Now that just seems like a day packed with God. But I'm not sure I really just quieted myself to listen to what he was trying to teach me throughout the day. Even in my reading of scripture for my sermon, I was really looking at it from an academic perspective today because that was my next step (to learn the context of the story). It was not until 9:45 tonight when I got home from small group that I decided I was going to be quiet and listen to God. 


The verse at the top asks "When can I go and meet with God?" I hear this emotion. I am so thirsting to be filled by his spirit and his love. When will it be time to meet with him? I have said in the past, and have heard others say this as well, that I am too busy to meet with God right now - I will do it later. I am a little sad right now that I waited all day to spend time with him when I could have been with him in the midst of everything else, not just on a mental or intellectual level, but on a spiritual, emotional level. This was the point of the incarnation, right? God making himself available to us always, on our level. We don't have to set up a time to meet with God anymore. He is always present and we can always meet with him. 


This is my goal: Be with God everyday, all day. Lofty goal, I know. I will fail, but I press on because I know that God is worth it. 


I pray that you, who ever you are reading this, whether you work in a church or not, that you may feel God's presence on a personal, spiritual, and emotional level all throughout your days and that you can be aware of his presence meeting with you always.