Grace Church Summer Reading Program: Lord, Make My Life a Miracle by Ray and Anne Ortlund. Chapter Two: “Be God-Centered”

What is a “divine breathing”?

According to Ray and Anne Ortlund it is a sense or awareness or a washing in the reality and nearness of God. In the second chapter of their book, Lord, Make My Life a Miracle, they shared a quote from Thomas Kelly who said, “On one level we may be…meeting all the demands of the external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes, at a profounder level, one may also be in prayer and adoration, song and worship, and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings.”

Do you want a “gentle receptiveness to divine breathings”? Do you want to experience a life where encounters with God’s presence are frequent and refreshing? The doorway to these breathings and encounters is by becoming increasingly God-centered.

A God-centered life is not one in which God gets tacked on to our never-ending to do lists, but one that begins with God and holds Him as our constant priority throughout each moment of our day. Christianity is not a religion that we do it is a relationship that we live. However, far too many of us Christians are moving too fast to catch God’s whispered intentions.

Let’s try something this week. Let’s begin each day committed to the following practices:

1. Let’s ask God to make us more receptive to His divine breathings.
2. Let’s consciously think about Him during the day, pausing repeatedly to whisper words of appreciation, respect, and praise.
3. Let’s determine that we will look for His life and activity in the middle of our daily routines.
4. Let’s begin “practicing the presence of God” until it becomes our natural habitat.