As young teenage girls and brand new believers in Christ, my sister and I would often encourage each other in our newfound faith. I remember late nights in our bunk beds challenging each other with Scripture ‘quote-offs’ and trivia questions. Adele and I were excited about being Christians and we wanted to immerse ourselves in it. In those early days of our spiritual growth, we began to understand that following Jesus must be an intentional act of the will – something that you crave and pursue with hunger.

As infants in our novel pursuit, there was a particular question we’d often ask each other; a question that was marked with unavoidable self-examination. One of us would say, ”Did you remember to think about God today?”

Before experiencing salvation, we had no resolutions about God meditations. We did not set out to ‘think about Him’ throughout the hectic hours of our high school day. If we did, we did; but it wasn’t a focused aspiration. But, that was different now. We determined that our Savior must be a part of our everyday, not just a Sunday-contemplation. The last thing we wanted was our Redeemer ignored in ungrateful hearts.

Soon, Adele and I would learn to develop the habit of daily prayer and Bible reading. As we spent time with Him in those sacred disciplines, His presence took deep roots in our hearts and thought lives. Drawing near to Him, we discovered more treasures than we could have imagined. We found that the more we grew in Him, the more inextricably involved in our day He became. After awhile, it was nearly impossible not to think of Him in gratitude, wonder, expectation, hope and need. The Holy Spirit was teaching us how God can be Father, Friend and Lord.

Today, years later, we desire the same: We want to remember Him, to marvel the wonders of His Person and to seek His direction in everything our hands finds to do. We long to give Him the glory and priority He deserves from our lives. For me, there are days when this happens and there are days when I fail, allowing distractions to un-focus me.

In every day, let’s aspire to reach a place of perpetual awareness and desire for our Lord. Where our thoughts are always laid before Him in surrender. Where our ambitions are continually submitted to Him for guidance and revision. Where our hearts are constantly vulnerable to the shaping of His Hands. Where our decisions pass through Him before fruition. Where our minds are fettered to His Word, savoring again and again the rich meaning of biblical truths. Lord, let our spirits be consumed with love, awe, and unceasing adoration of who You are.

Our relational God invites each of us to ‘walk the Garden with Him’ in the ordinariness of the daily grind. As we drive, our conversant Lord sits in the passenger seat. As we work, we see His face and hum His praise. As we speak, we are yet still whispering to Him. We wake in Him, move with Him and act according to His promptings. In all of this, we draw near to Him and when we draw near to Him something glorious begins to happen…we realize how close He is. There can be no greater joy in this life than to walk with God and glimpse the radiance of His glory. There can be no greater sense of togetherness than God’s Spirit beside your spirit facing all of life hand in hand.

Did you remember to think about God today? Have you made a volitional decision to follow Him, to ponder Him, to pursue Him? Do you hunger for His nearness? His Hand is outstretched and He invites you to walk with Him today.

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV)

Liz Miller lives in Daphne with her husband Matt and son, Logan. She looks forward to responding to your thoughts, prayer requests and guest speaker invitations, please write to millerfam3@hotmail.com.