How do I prioritize God’s presence and His voice throughout the day?

Introduction

I need to be at a meeting in 15 minutes! The doctor appointment is tomorrow after work. Swimming lessons for my child start this Saturday. I have a report for my boss due this Friday. I need to close that work deal by the end of the week. I need to get back to the gym every morning … do any of these statements sound familiar to you? Or at least, does the feeling of being busy with a lot to do seem like your current reality? Amidst the demands of work, bills, family, health, community and other life involvements, it can be hard to consistently feel connected to God’s presence and His voice throughout the day. Perhaps the words of this psalm resonate with you:

As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
(Psalm 42:1-2 NLT)

Perhaps you also long for God, the living God … for His peace and rest, for His voice and guidance, for His strength and joy, not just on the weekend or during vacations, not just when you’re having quality time with Him in the mornings or evenings, but every day and throughout the day.

I remember when I used to go to church camps in the summer time in my childhood and adolescent years. They were special annual events, something I would look forward to. The worship time, getting prayed over, listening to passionate Bible teachings, being around people who love Jesus for a whole week was precious and truly faith-building. I recall feeling so enthusiastic about my relationship with Jesus shortly after camp, wanting to stay close to Him every day. But somehow as the year would progress, my passion would wane, and I would so often find myself feeling far from God again. Some would call this a rollercoaster kind of faith … I just knew that I didn’t like this way of relating with God. Why couldn’t I remain spiritually hungry and passionate for the Lord throughout the whole year? I was still going to church every Sunday, and I did my best to follow a Bible reading plan. What was I missing?

As I continued to grow in my walk with God, I came to realize that my connection with His presence and His voice needed to be prioritized. Pastor Brad shared a sermon this weekend (click HERE to watch it) on having priorities that produce good fruit in our lives, the first priority being our relationship with Jesus – this is foundational to a healthy heart and life. But how do we prioritize this vital connection with Jesus in a meaningful and consistent way that impacts our busy day? I believe there are four areas that require our attention in order to do this: our mental awareness, our heart motivation, our confessing words, and our daily habits.

Mental Awareness

If we’re not careful, each day can begin with a flurry of tasks, needs, and responsibilities, so it’s good to start with giving God the first part of our day and set our thoughts on Him first. But we mustn’t stop there, in Isaiah 26:3, the prophet Isaiah tells God’s people that “[God] will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in [Him]” (NIV). That word “steadfast” can be equated to “staying”, “leaning on” or “finding rest in” — it’s a sustained state. God keeps us in perfect peace when we continually keep our mind on Him. How is this possible? After all, I must also live my life and get things done, don’t I?

The key here is to practice having continual awareness of God’s presence, never really leaving your conversation with God that you perhaps started in the morning. Just as you might check-in with a friend or a spouse throughout the day by text message or a quick phone call to connect or show care, we can also check-in with the Lord through prayer, thanksgiving, and simple acknowledgments throughout the day. As I walk outside to pick up my lunch, I thank God for being with me today, for giving me wisdom as I completed an earlier task, and for the breath I’m breathing. As I begin a new assignment at my desk, I ask God to guide me and thank Him for creative ideas. As I go into a meeting or even during the meeting, I recognize the Lord’s presence is with me and I remember that He also goes before me. In my mind, I never cease to forget that just as God promised the Israelites going into the promised land, He will never leave me, nor forsake me; He is always right beside me (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Heart Motivation

It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to succeed, to compare ourselves with others, to look good in front of others, or to become selfish in our desires. In addition to this, what we spend our time and money on is quite often a clear indicator of what our hearts value, what we care about and even what we worship (Matthew 6:21). Our heart motivations can affect our connection with God’s presence and His voice because it reveals whether He is still important to us. Throughout scripture we see that God is continually after our hearts more than any sacrifice or good action. Moses spoke to the Israelites saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV). King Solomon wrote, “My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways” (Proverbs 23:26 NIV).

Keeping our heart motivation in check looks like taking time to pause and ponder, even briefly, about why you responded a certain way to someone else, perhaps there is something God wants to point out in your character. Or it could look like inviting God in a moment of decision to show you the best way to respond to a question or potential commitment being asked of you. It may mean that you tell the other person that you need some time to think and that you will get back to them shortly. Or it may mean that you take time to reflect at different points in your day to check-in with the Lord and see if He is giving you a sense of peace about something or a thought on what you need to do next. This pausing, pondering, and invitation to the Lord helps to ensure we are not walking in pride, selfishness, doubt, fear, or anger, but rather, in trust, faith, love, and peace. By doing this, we keep our hearts healthy and aligned with the Lord throughout our day.

Confessing Words

Even the sporting world knows that our self-talk (what we speak/think to ourselves) can really affect our mind and performance. The Bible is clear on the power of our words too, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21 NIV). God speaks to Joshua, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8 NIV). Our words have power and so we must be thoughtful in what we say. Furthermore, God doesn’t want us to just speak anything, He wants us to speak His Word continually! Why? Because He wants us to prosper and be successful.

We can prioritize God’s presence and voice by memorizing scripture, and speaking it throughout our day, or using it in prayer. We can be thoughtful in what we say out loud or in our minds, checking to make sure that it agrees with what God has said in His Word. If something doesn’t align, then say a prayer out loud breaking agreements with any thought that is contrary and speak God’s truth over yourself instead. We can also speak words of faith and encouragement to others at work, or to our family and friends.

Daily Habits

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27 NKJV). This verse reminds us that we, like sheep, are under the loving care of our Shepherd, Jesus. We are helpless without Him and so we need to prioritize His presence and voice so that we can receive guidance and know how to follow Him. If we don’t, like sheep, we will be lost, helpless and unproductive. This analogy insinuates a daily dependence on Jesus, and a constant connection with Him through daily habits such as giving God praise, Bible reading, journaling, praying in a known language or in our heavenly language (in tongues), as well as coming to church and being in fellowship with other Christians. All these things remind us that we are in a relationship with the God of the universe and that our faith in Him is not a sum of duties or following rules, but rather, an interactive ongoing life-giving connection.

Often, we know very well what we should do, but we don’t do it because it’s not easy or we get distracted. The best way to form a habit is to schedule the thing we want to do more often and do it daily at a similar time. When you begin to enjoy the benefits of doing something that helps you prioritize God’s presence and voice in your life, you will likely want to do that thing more. For example, I started listening to the Bible along with a devotional first thing in the morning and again in the evening, and this has been a great way to make my first and last thoughts each day about who God is and learning more about what He is like. When I’m in the car, I listen to worship music, and I take time to pray about various things on my mind that day. As I get ready for the day or I’m using the washroom, I pray in my heavenly language to remain in communion with God. Doing all these things and more have helped me to be more aware of God’s presence in my life and to walk in His peace. The opportunities to form habits that help us stay connected to God are endless. Pray and ask the Lord what habits He would like you to form this week!

Conclusion

We prioritize God’s presence and His voice throughout our day by paying attention to our mental awareness, our heart motivation, our confessing words, and our daily habits. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (NIV). The Lord wants to be with us and speak with us each day, revealing His thoughts toward us, His plans, His wisdom, and His love for us.

In Psalm 143:8, King David prays to God, “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You” (NKJV). Even King David knew he needed help to hear God’s voice in his life, and he was known to be a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22), how much more do we need to pray for the Lord’s help with this too.