Begin by Practicing the Presence

Meditation is not simple for those who have never approached it. It is
made easier, however, by beginning not with meditation itself but with
practicing the presence of God. It means consciously remembering God,
acknowledging Him in all our ways, and remembering upon waking in the morning:
Today I watch the activity of God taking place throughout the day. I will
not fear what mortal man or mortal circumstances can do to me, but I will
live as a beholder of God as God reveals each unfolding minute to me, each
unfolding five minutes and each unfolding ten minutes, until at the end of
the day I will be able to report, “God, You have done a wonderful job with
today. I’m going to rest and trust You with the night.”

In practicing the presence of God, we turn over the days and the nights to
God. Eventually we turn over our household, our finances, our business,
and the driving of our automobiles to God, even the driving of other drivers.
Yes, we even place them under God’s grace. Gradually by this practice of
the Presence, it becomes a simple matter to meditate because now, as we sit
down, we automatically find ourselves in the midst of an inner quiet and an
inner rhythm.
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