Eyes To See, Ears To Hear

     We had a great discussion last night of the Chichester Chronicles Group.  For those of you who don't know, we're meeting monthly with anyone who is trying to use the prayer of Richard of Chichester as a way to deepen their faith and begin the process of being "All In" for God.  The accountability of getting together regularly and sharing what we've learned is one way to keep us on track with this experiment in prayer.
     It is hard, often very hard, to look and find God in our daily lives when we aren't used to doing it.  It's part habit, part mindset, and part perseverance.  Yes, we can see God in the beauty and wonder of nature.  We can feel God's care when the people around us reach out and love us.  But can we still wait upon God when our day has been a complete mess and all we want to do is hang our heads in frustration?
     I came across this beautiful Lenten prayer which was actually written by a 12 year old, Frances James.  It has challenged me to keep looking and keep listening even when God doesn't appear to be very close at hand.  It is faith after all that allows us to believe that God is there, God is active in our lives, if we but have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.  I hope you find this poem/prayer as meaningful as I have.  It is well timed as well since we are getting closer and close to Lent.

A Prayer for Lent by Frances James

In the silence

The deep, echoing silence

I listen for You.

In the dark

The calm, tranquil dark

I listen for You.

In the storm

The howling, raging storm

I listen for You.

In the waves

The crashing, ravening waves

I listen for You.

By the stream,

The tumbling, bubbling stream

I listen for You.

In the woods

The cool, shady woods

I listen for You.

And in the calm and the quiet

The power and the noise

The serene and the busy

I listen

And You are there.

God Sightings: To See God More Clearly

       When we ask God to help us see Him more clearly, what are we really asking?

      If we can't see God or the evidence of God in the world around us, if we lose sight of God's working out his love and mercy in our lives, then God becomes little more than an abstract concept.  God becomes impersonal.  Someone once said, "If we are blind to the presence and power of God then it won't be very long before we no longer see the point in praising God."  But the most amazing aspect of our Christian faith is that the Creator God that we find revealed in Jesus Christ wants nothing more than a personal relationship with every aspect of his creation, especially with each and every one of his children.  Therefore being able to perceive or recognize God's movement or God's actions in our daily lives is absolutely critical to what it means to call yourself a spiritual person.  What we are really asking for in this prayer is to better perceive and experience the God who is and always has been guiding, protecting, and providing for us day by day.

    Where do you look for God?

    The Bible is a good place to start.  After all, we believe that God reveals himself in a special way through the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.  The most obvious place to search for God is in the Word of God.
     Creation is another place where God's nature often reveals itself.  There is nothing quite as captivating as a brilliant sunset, a soaring eagle, a flowing stream, or a majestic mountain.  Next time your walking your dog on a clear night look up at the stars.  It is both humbling and awesome to consider the scope of God's hand.
     It makes sense to look for God in the acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity in the people around us.  Nothing can turn a day around like a kind, encouraging word--a bright smile, or someone letting you turn in front of them when traffic congestion is at its worst.
     Sometimes God reveals himself in the silence.  God might come through a still small voice or God may just be there in the sheer silence or murmuring to you through the back ground noises of a quiet house or busy street.
     Jesus said that if we want to find him in our daily lives be on the lookout for the least, last, and lost in our midst.  When we come across real human need, the opportunity to love and serve is also an opportunity to commune with our Savior.
    It is wrong just to look for God with any one of our senses.  We are just as likely to hear God as to see God; just as likely to feel God emotionally as we are to have our minds filled with insight; just as likely sense the nudging and leading of the Holy Spirit as we are to pursue a list of worthy goals on our to-do list.
    
     Try This

     Over the next week, begin each day with an emphasis on the first request of Richard's prayer:  May I See You More Clearly.   Make that a breath prayer--a whispered simple petition that you repeat over and over through out the day.  You might whisper it out loud or utter it only in your mind, but find make it a regular thought throughout your day.
     Let me see you more clearly. 
     Help me see you Lord. 
     Reveal yourself to me. 
     Do not hide thyself from me.
     Open my eyes, ears, and heart that I might not miss Your Presence.
You get the idea.  Pray the prayer, trusting that if you pray it with your whole heart, God will find a way to answer it.  In fact, it is just the kind of prayer God delights in answering. 
     Then focus your reflection time each night on how your prayer was answered.  Push yourself to reach beyond the obvious and the trite examples.  How has God allowed you to experience something of who God is--what aspects of God's nature came through to you as you moved through your work, friendships, family, and rest each day?