What a glorious day it is today! I feel like I’ve been to church services this morning in a beautiful little cathedral in England. The street is deathly quiet, the sun is beaming down bright warm sunshine, the birds are singing hymns of thanksgiving. The quietness is so wondrous, not a sound except the songbirds and an occasion ping from the wind chimes. My stain glass windows are a colorful flower garden full of bright yellow sunflowers and vibrantly colored zinnias. God is preaching directly to me and blessing me with this day. I feel his presence in the stillness of the day.

I can feel the existence of the Lord sitting in my porch swing and hear him in nature’s music around me. Ever think about where you feel the presence of God or hear him speak? I see God in the glorious watercolors of the sunset, in the dark azure blue of the sky, in the crayon red of the tomato on the vine, in the dark brown eyes of my little dog. I feel his presence in the quiet rustling of the bamboo canes and in the moon and twinkling stars hung high in the dark night sky. I feel his presence in the calm of the late nights when I pray. I hear him speak in the answers to my prayers, in the thunder claps, and in the cool breezes of a summer morning. The beauty of God’s creation reminds us he is present everywhere.

“Joy and laughter are the gifts of living in the presence of God and trusting that tomorrow is not worth worrying about.” — Henri Nouwen

Psalm 19:1 reads, “The heavens declare the gory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Even people who have not put their faith in him surely see him in the Earth’s beauty. If we’re grateful for all the little joys we experience in a day we will feel God’s nearness in our lives. When darkness and storms come into our lives we needn’t doubt God’s presence because these challenges give us the opportunity to feel God’s presence. Scripture says God is always with us.

When I went on a literary tour of England and Scotland as a college student we visited many historic cathedrals. The amazing beauty of the stained glass windows combined with the quietness of the naves immediately brought feelings of God’s closeness. You could not stand in these magnificent churches and cathedrals and deny God’s presence. Walking up the worn stone steps at the Canterbury Cathedral and entering the church gave me a calm feeling of peace knowing God was surely in this wondrous place. In Scotland I briefly visited a small cotswold stone church and felt God’s presence there. The inside was plain but the beauty of its simplicity touched me and I felt God near.

Each moment of our lives gives us opportunities to feel God’s presence. We can find him in our families and friends, in our blessings and our challenges, in the beautiful sunrises and sunsets. He shadows us everywhere. Pursue a relationship with God and he will bring joy and laughter and peace to your life.

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature — trees, flowers, grass — grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” — Mother Teresa.