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Starting a New Year With More of God: Coram Deo

A person seeking God

As we step into a new year, many of us are writing lists of goals and resolutions. You may have one of the favorites on your list this year like better fitness or better financial health.

"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'” Matthew 22:37 (ESV)

However, I would like to ask you a question: does your life crowd out God? Are you able to spend quality time just seeking His presence? Is He the most important relationship in your life or is He like your great aunt that you check up on twice a week and visit for an hour on Sundays?


Sometimes we get busy and forget that we are only left here after being born again to continue the ministry of Jesus. This means our goal should always be to become more Christ-like and Jesus lived in perfect harmony and obedience with His Father.

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. John 14:10 ESV

If Jesus, who was in perfect union with the Father, relied on God for His every word, how much more do we need that same connection?


Living Coram Deo

To help us refocus, we can look to a beautiful Latin phrase used by many throughout church history: Coram Deo.


Simply put, it means "in the presence of God." To live Coram Deo is to live one's entire life in the presence of, under the authority of, and to the glory of God. When we audit our time, we aren't just looking for "gaps" in a schedule; we are looking for ways to be more aware that we are always living right before His face.


The Honest Audit: Where Does the Time Go?

Are there gaps in your day in which God seems to disappear from your thoughts? To live more fully in His presence, we must be honest about where our hours actually go. Maybe you already know what you spend too much time doing that crowds God out of your mind and life but if not, I encourage you to spend evaluate/audit how you typically spend your time. For the next 14-21 days, try tracking how you spend your time. Be specific. How much time is spent on things like:

  • Work/School

  • Sleep

  • Eating

  • Commuting

  • Hobbies

  • Chores

  • Exercise

  • Volunteering

  • Time with family/friends

  • The time you currently spend seeking God.


It is important to know that technology is designed to be addictive. Many apps, games, and platforms are built specifically to extract more of our time than we originally intended to give. They are also designed to be immersive, which will interfere with your ability to seek God or even think of Him.

Take a hard look at:

  • Social Media & Scrolling: These feeds are engineered to keep us scrolling long after we meant to stop.

  • Gaming: Whether it's a quick phone game or a console marathon, games are crafted to be high-engagement time-sinks.

  • Streaming & TV: It is easy to lose an entire evening to digital entertainment.


The goal isn't to judge yourself harshly, but to gain clarity. We often spend significant chunks of our day on activities that, while not inherently bad, may not align with our deepest spiritual desires.


A Note on "Good" Activities

Interestingly, even "good" things can sometimes become distractions. Listening to faith-based podcasts, sermons, or Christian music is wonderful for learning. However, we must be careful that we aren't just learning about God but seeking more of Him.


Another easy trap to fall into is volunteering, especially at church. If you end up on the leadership short-list because you are eager to help, they will often ignore their responsibilities to hold idle members accountable and overuse you. This is not healthy for you or the church.

"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!" 1 Chronicles 16:11 (ESV)

Nothing replaces "seeking His face"—those undistracted and intentional moments where it is just you and the Lord.


Replacing or Reducing the "Non-Beneficial" Activities

“Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

Once you have looked over your inventory, it is time to identify your "non-beneficial" activities. There may be one thing or many things that take up a lot of your time but do not lead to spiritual growth. We are born again into God's family so that we can have an intimate, loving relationship with Him for all eternity. This is not something that begins when this phase of life is over; it begins now.


I am hoping you will be challenged this year to look at these activities and decide which ones need to be reduced or replaced entirely.


If we are to live Coram Deo:

  • We must become more captivated by God and less captivated by the world. We cannot live "before the face of God" if our eyes are constantly glued to things that don't matter. We need to replace the things that distract us with a focus on His beauty and authority.

  • We must create the silence necessary to hear Him. We often forget that God often speaks in a "still, small voice." If our lives are filled with the constant noise of non-beneficial activities, we will miss what He is saying. We must reduce the noise so we can hear our Father.

  • We must break the "mastery" of our habits. If you find an activity has a "grip" on you—meaning you feel you must do it or you can't put it down—it has mastered you. To live under the authority of the Father, we must replace those masters with a surrender to Him.


By reducing or replacing these habits, we are clearing the way to live as Jesus lived: in constant, quiet, and captivated union with the Father.


Practical Steps for Your New Year

After you have identified areas for improvement:

  1. Make a clean swap: Use the time you would have spent on that activity for prayer, scripture reading, or sitting in silence before God.

  2. Set Boundaries: Use "Do Not Disturb" modes or app timers to protect your time.

  3. Get an accountability partner: If you find some habits are hard to get under control, find a loving accountability partner to ask you how you are spending your time.

  4. Prioritize Connection over Information: Ensure your "God time" includes direct conversation, not just consuming content.


Make this year even better by choosing to live Coram Deo!. By clearing away the clutter, we make room for the only relationship that can truly satisfy our souls.


All Scripture quoted is in the ESV format unless otherwise specified.


 
 
 

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