Mature Faith Never Experiences God's ABsence

​When I first read that passage yesterday, I thought to myself, well surely God wants us reflecting on him.

Then I read it again.

I think we all have a person in our lives - maybe several - that even when we aren't thinking about them, even when some obvious expression of them isn't right in front of us, even then we somehow can see and feel their presence.

I think that's what Father Keating is suggesting here should be the starting point of how we see and feel God.

He's suggesting that at the dinner table, when we say a blessing over the food, God doesn't disappear when the final words of the prayer are complete. God pulls up a chair and eats with us. He's in the conversations and in the food.

I think he's suggesting that when I sit here this morning reading, and then reflecting and writing, and when I get up from here and go run, that if I have mature faith I'll see God grab his running shoes and go with me. He'll ask, how far are we going today? Then he'll say, oh yea, I forgot, we're running across Tennessee.

I think the suggestion here is that mature faith doesn't have to call a timeout in the middle of the day to remember God - mature faith never experiences his absence.

Mature faith doesn't look at a calendar and see my work stuff and my play stuff and my personal stuff and my fitness stuff - it just sees God.

Mature faith doesn't see God as an extra thing to do, but sees everything else as impossible to do without him.

After thinking about mature faith this morning, my prayer comes from Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, Lord,that I may rely on your faithfulness;give me an undivided heart,that I may fear your name.

The Hebrew word used for fear here - yirah - is tied to reverence and awe. And so this prayer, wouldn't that be the most beautiful of mature faiths?

To rely on God.To have an undivided heart.To be awed and overcome with reverence every time we simply open our eyes.

I confess - I do not have a mature faith. But this morning I am praying - Lord teach me your ways....