One day, a young monk asked his Abbot, “How can I be sure that I am in God’s presence?”

The Abbot replied, “You have as much control over that as you have the power to make the sun rise.”

Exasperated, the young monk exclaimed, “Then of what use are all our spiritual exercises and prayers?”

The Abbot responded, “You do these things to make sure you are awake when the sun does rise.”  —Desert Saying.

For centuries, people have entered places of quiet and silence to discover the power of God. And could it be that the harder we try, the more elusive God’s presence seems? Yet the miracle is that somehow the still speaking God catches our attention over and over again.  Sometimes God appears in intentional prayer. Other times we sense God in music, nature, or loving our neighbors.  Where do you notice the presence of God in your life?