Expecting Jesus Daily

What if we approached life with the expectation that Jesus will come again and that he is with us daily as he promised—“I am with you always even to the end of the age”? I’m convinced that expectant preparation actually allows us to experience an abundance of God’s presence and grace. Furthermore, that it will make a major impact on our lives and those around us. Isn’t that what our world needs most right now?

Followers of Jesus believe that we don’t work to get grace or that we can take grace from God. No. We know that it can only be received by faith. That is why Anglicans teach people to hold out their hands during Communion. When we posture ourselves to receive from God, he can give us what is needed. And that is what we need to do to prepare for Jesus daily. Think of the following practices as ways of putting yourself in the stream of God’s grace so that his grace and love can flow in and through you to others.

Start to set your alarm to wake you up early enough to spend time with God each day. Begin by simply saying good morning, and thank God for another day. Then you could spend time reading and meditating on Scripture and in prayer. Hopefully, taking the time to do this will prepare you to love God and others during the morning hours.

Some people like to employ Family or Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer— I currently utilize an app: “Daily Prayer, An Anglican Guide to Daily Rhythms.” (Get it here – https://www.rethinkme.com/).

A lot happens between 7:00 AM and 12:00 PM that can cause one to feel anxious, frustrated, discouraged, etc. That is why it can be very beneficial to open the Daily Prayer app for midday prayer. Those ten minutes of reading prayers, Scripture, and praying often help restore my hope and remind me that my work is about bringing glory to God. Instead of continuing to focus on things that felt like they were draining the life out of me.

At the end of a long day, the world encourages us to spend hours scrolling through social media or binge-watching TV shows. Might I suggest spending a little less time doing those things so that you can take some time to reflect and pray. It could be as simple as thinking about what happened during the day and then taking a few minutes to pray about what occurred. Drinking from the life-giving water of God’s Word at the end of the day also helps combat the lies Satan has thrown at us all day, and refreshes our soul.

Doing things like this can allow for the grace of our Lord to fill our cup to overflowing. So that when we rub shoulders with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc., throughout the day, the grace of God can spill over into their lives as well. I hope and pray we experience Immanuel’s presence daily.

Grace, Peace, & Love,

Rev. Jamie George, Interim Rector