I just began studying the life of David in my own study time as well as with a couple students.
I am only a couple days into this study and wow is it a good one!
One of the things I was reading about today was how focused David was on the task of returning the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. It was #1 on his To-Do list! David wanted God's presence to guide all social, economic, and spiritual decisions.
You and I do not need a physical chest in our living rooms for God to be present in our lives. Christ dwells in each Christians heart.
Just like David wanted the ark to sit in the center of daily life, so we must center our daily living and decisions with an awareness of God's presence.
"Practicing" the presence of God does not come easily or naturally. You have to be creative. It could mean writing verses down on note cards and posting them above the sink. (Or in the laundry room, where it seems I spend most of my time!) It could be turning on praise and worship music while you clean house. It is turning your worry-wort moments into prayers.
(I am writing this to myself as much as any of you!)
Let me close quoting a prayer from Priscilla Shirer.
"Lord, today let me see You when Your are moving and hear You when You are speaking. Heighten my spiritual sensitivities to notice Your activity around me, to me, and through me to others. May Your presence become so evident this day that I am steered clear of mistakes that I would most assuredly make if left to my own natural tendencies. Give me, dear Lord, a consciousness, an awareness of You everywhere and anywhere I may go."
