Inspiring Ways to Identify Jesus in your Everyday Life

January 27th, 2024

Abbie Roddy

Most people don’t talk about SEEING Jesus in their everyday lives. I’ve never seen Jesus appear in my dorm room or school cafeteria while eating dinner with friends. Christians often struggle with the idea that God is invisible, we claim that He is omnipresent and omniscient but no one can say they have ever seen Him sitting next to them while watch TV.

I often think about times in scripture when God appears to someone in a physical form. Like when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3. Or when God sent His Son down in a physical form to have the full human experience as seen in the Gospels. What would that look like? What would that feel like? What does He sound like?

All valid questions, but they often leave us unsatisfied and desiring more. We want more, we want to feel God’s touch, His loving care, we want to feel our Father’s arms embracing us when we are at our lowest. Our human nature longs for this physical affection from God. We long for God’s attention so much that we start filling that part of our lives with other things of this world. So, we need to prioritize noticing the Lord’s presence in our everyday lives.

God works in mysterious ways.

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What if I told you we can see Jesus in our everyday lives? Or better, we can see His works in our everyday lives as He desires for us. Growing up I always heard the phrase “God works in mysterious ways!”. This didn’t click for me until I found myself across the country, attending an unfamiliar college, with unfamiliar people, and no plan at all. Soon enough I started finding my way around, gaining new friendships, and seeing God’s plan starting to unfold.

I did not expect to get connected, or to find friends right away, or to flourish in a new community like this, but… God works in mysterious ways! I started to see Jesus working in everyday, mundane things. I saw Jesus in conversations with my friends, in my interactions with co-workers, in the chapel, and more and more in my daily life.

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you;the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

Psalms 139:7-12

Scripture

We can’t expect Jesus to show up in our daily lives if we are not living our lives according to His will. God’s love and graciousness are abundant and for everyone. 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”. God wants to love us. God desires to love us. He wants to be a part of every moment of our lives. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord WILL provide. Maybe you’re in a spot where the Lord is still shaping your faith. Maybe you don’t know what God feels like, sounds like, or looks like in your life. Here’s the truth: God’s presence is everywhere. Psalms 139:7-12, there is nowhere we can go where God is not. Therefore, Jesus is in our daily lives. He is active, it’s our job to recognize Him. When we start to recognize Him in our daily lives, we start to have a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. 

Call to action:

Inspiration

To see God in our everyday lives, we need to intentionally invite Him in. Our faith is not a checklist, but there are some things we can do to guide us in our journey to seeing God in our daily lives. Perhaps, you have been in and out of Bible reading plans like crash diets trying to get a hold of your faith but nothing sticks. Try taking it one chapter at a time, pick a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John), and learn about the life of Jesus, His character, and why God sent Him. Don’t rush yourself and find satisfaction in the scripture. Perhaps you struggle to pray continually like 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states. “Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. Try praying when you get in your car, or when you are brushing your teeth. Start to invite prayer into the mundane things in your life. This is when you will start to recognize Jesus in your everyday lives.

Overall, Jesus is already existing and working in our lives. He is doing His part, He calls us to act on it. Start meditating and praying on God to reveal Himself to you. Jesus loves you. Please enjoy the weekly worship song!

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