Years ago I asked God to make Himself real to me in my ordinary days. I can see that He has answered that prayer over and over, and today during my quiet time I encountered Him again. An ordinary day for me holds a space of time in the morning with my Bible, a notebook, and my coffee. I love this time, and generally anticipating it is what gets me out of bed in the morning. This has not always been the case, and certainly not in those days when I prayed that prayer, but today, yes.
I was sitting quietly in our TV room, thinking, engaging in some prayers, and reflecting on the peace I was feeling. I knew that soon I would step out; leaving this “space”, so to speak, to encounter all that is before me this day. I know that Jesus is always with me, but I feel Him more especially in the quiet time, and so I am tempted to linger. My thoughts turned to Anna in the Bible. I have always wondered about her. We are told that she never left the temple courts. It seemed to me like a very narrow life, just being in the temple – all the time. This morning I had a new perspective. It is wonderful to sense God’s presence. How could it be a narrow life; to be in the presence of the Creator of the whole universe? This is not a narrow place, but a beautiful, grand and spacious place. I thought of David where he says of the Lord, “He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” Anna didn’t have to step out into an ordinary day; she got to stay right there in the temple. She must have felt the Lord’s delight, and her perseverance in seeking Him day after day into her old age got her the reward of seeing the Baby Messiah. Many people saw Him that day, but she knew who He was! Dare I say that I am like Anna, in a small way? I am seeking Him, and at times like this morning, I sense His delightful presence, but one day I will really see Him. Tears come as this extraordinary thought breaks into this ordinary day. A “water to wine” thought, and the day is transformed.