Deep Within

8 Oct

“You don’t look out there for God, something in the sky, you look in you.”  ~ Alan Watts

One of the songs that is often used at Mass is Deep Within by David Haas.  The first part of the refrain is, “Deep within, I will plant my law, not on stone, but in your heart.”  It is a very real reminder that we must look within ourselves when we communicate with God.

Too many people think that God is “out there” somewhere, that He is remote and distant from them.  They could not be further from the truth.  God is close.  Very close.  As a matter of fact, God is deep within each and every one of us.

When we quit looking for externals and begin looking deep within, we will be poised at the ready to encounter the God who is waiting to hear from us and to speak to us.  While that might sound very profound, it is much easier said than done.  We are creatures of habit and we are always looking outside of ourselves for the cues that we need to get through life.

We look at signs when driving on the road.  We look at body language when we are speaking to others, especially if it might become contentious.  We look for signals from the ground and sky to determine the weather.  We are used to looking outside ourselves.

God wants us to look within.  Jesus reminded us a few times in the Gospels that it is from within that all things emanate.  If we are grounded in the Lord, good works will come from us.  If we have lost our footing on the path that leads to the Kingdom, the words and actions that come from within will probably be those of the world rather than of the Lord.

We need to keep a keen eye turned within not only to keep ourselves in check but to keep our relationship with the Lord on solid ground.  That is not easy to do when we surround ourselves with the noisy externals of the world.  It requires a place where we can go in silence so that we can come to know our Lord better.  That place is found deep within.

FAITH ACTION:  Spend some time in silence today so that you may communicate with God who dwells deep within you.