Difficulties in prayer (god is always present and at work)

"All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent."

- Saint Teresa of Avila

This is at the beginning of Axiom 2 "God Is Always Present And At Work," the second chapter in Ben Sternke and Matt Tebbe's book 'Having The Mind of Christ: Eight Axioms To Cultivate A Robust Faith.'

The chapter isn't really about prayer, but God's presence. And, as they say, it's one of those things we would all likely get correct on a test... but do we really live like God is always present and at work?

How many times have you heard someone say, "God showed up today"? So, where was he until then?

Or how about those 'dark night of the soul' periods... don't we sometimes think God can be pretty distant (or that we are far from God)? But if he is omnipresent... he can't NOT be present!

The authors point out:

"One  of the reasons many of us have been frustrated by discipleship programs in churches is that we don't live as though God is present and at work; we live as though we must schedule God into our lives. But this axiom helps us learn to bring our whole life into trusting relationship with the God who is always present and at work."

 Two other points I want to note from this chapter:

"Dallas Willard refers to discipleship as the intentional process of becoming more like Jesus: being with Jesus to learn from him how to live like he would live if he were me." (Willard uses 'discipleship' interchangeably with 'spiritual formation')

"What would it be like to drop the expectation of what God should be doing, and instead pray for eyes to see how God is already present with you and working for your good?"

This could be a life-altering perspective for many. It could/should also change how we pray...

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Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”