Today, I want to share a simple and profoundly helpful practice that I have been adding to my daily life. It’s something that has been a lifeline from moment to moment for me.
Like you, I have my unique list of pressurized dynamics in my life that try to overwhelm me. I freely admit that I wrestle with sustaining peace and joy in the daily grind.
Look at what Psalm 16:8 says:
“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.”
As I was crawling into bed the other day, my wife noticed the look on my face and had already been reading my behaviour throughout the evening, when she asked me sweetly “are you ok?”. A small dam of frustration burst in my response when I answered “No” and then listed out my poor pile of reasons. It was a moment when I realized that, like Peter attempting to do the impossible and walk on water himself, I was focusing far too much on the practical but proverbial “wind and waves” around me. My focus had subtly slipped from Jesus’ promise to be with me.
The next morning, I read Psalm 16, and verse 8 leaped out at me, living and active. God was reminding me that He is with me, but also that I have the responsibility to acknowledge that. I have to “set the Lord before me.”
God is always with us, but we ignore Him so easily when we get distracted or overwhelmed. I do it far too frequently.
To battle this, I have been practicing setting the Lord in specific places in the room I am in. Visualizing Jesus with me as I drive, talk, text, watch, eat, preach, counsel, study, and mingle with people provides both comfort and accountability. It comforts me that I am not alone, that His strength is brought to bear in each moment, and that He has promised to bear my burdens. It also holds me accountable for my behavior in all of those contexts I just mentioned.
Jon Courson calls this discipline the “awareness of His thereness”. And Psalm 16:8 says that when we practice His presence, we will not be shaken.
Let me ask you, where can you “set the Lord”?
In my office, He sits in the extra chair. At the coffee shop, He is across the table from me. In my car, the passenger seat. In my home, every space has a place for Him. Take a moment to think through your spaces, and then place the Lord in them.
I would love to hear how you are applying this powerful practice. Hit reply or text me at 806-316-7679. Let me know where you are setting the Lord in your day today. Let’s not be shaken together.
Much Love,
Doug