Coram Deo Challenge
Once while I was preparing a Sunday school lesson, I came across a phrase that to my knowledge, I had never heard before. It was the Latin phrase Coram Deo which means “before the face of God”. This phrase was taken from Psalm 56:13 and is a reminder that we are walking before God. R. C. Sproul explains it as living all of life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and to the glory of God. As I said, I had not heard this phrase until I was preparing my Sunday school lesson, so you can imagine my surprise when I came across it two more times during that week.
I knew that God was making sure He had my attention and that He was making sure I spent more time thinking about this phrase. I knew He was also presenting it to me as the challenge that it is. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how life-changing it could be should one decide to intentionally live out this truth in their life. What would happen if a person were to determine to live their life intentionally aware of the fact that they were living all of their life in the presence of God? What would happen if that person were to put all of their life under the authority of God?
And what, my friend, might happen if that person were also to determine to live all their life for the glory of God? As I sat considering these questions, I realized that this person would be on the path to living a life that would truly be worth living. This person would be on track to live a life that would certainly enable them to someday hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23). I had to ask myself a tough question. Am I that person? I want to be, I truly do, but I don’t know that I am. So, I have to look more closely at this challenge and see what must be done to live it out in my life.
First, I must consider what it means to live all of my life in the presence of God. To find the answer to that I looked at Psalm 56:13 where the phrase Coram Deo was taken from. “For You delivered me from death, even my feet from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of life.” Living in His presence means walking in His life-giving light. This immediately brought two things to mind. First, it brought Psalm 119:105 to mind. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Walking in the light means walking in obedience to His Word. It means allowing His Word to guide me.
It means that I allow His Word to be my guide showing me the path that I am to take. My steps are to be determined by what His Word says. I must daily walk in obedience to His Word. The second thing God brought to mind was another incredibly important Scripture. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” To walk before God in the light of life is to walk with Jesus. Living all of life in the presence of God means to walk each day with Jesus; it means to live fully aware of His presence with us.
I am reminded of Brother Lawrence who taught us to practice the presence of God. He had learned the art of staying in the presence of God all day by practicing his awareness of the fact that God was always with him and by conversing with Him throughout his day. If I am going to live Coram Deo, I too, am going to have to practice remaining aware of the presence of God. I am going to have to practice focusing on God and refocusing my thoughts and attention on Him as often as necessary. I am going to have to practice focusing my thoughts “on what is above and not on what is on earth” (Col. 3:2).
The next thing I need to work on will be submitting every area of my life under the authority of God. “Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” James 4:7. He paid the highest price one could pay to call me His own; I owe Him everything, especially my allegiance and submission. As my Lord, my Savior, and my God, He deserves to rule my heart and my life. If I want to live Coram Deo, I must surrender all to His authority.
This means that every single day of my life, I must seek His will; I must seek to know His plans for me. Each day must be greeted with complete surrender to His will, to His guidance. Each day, I dare say, each minute, must be given to Him as an offering as I await His command. Following my precious Savior’s example, the cry of my heart must be, “not my will but Thine be done” (Matt. 26:39,42). Under His authority means doing what He wants; it means obeying His will and allowing Him to dictate my actions. Living under His authority means living aware that my life is not my own.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” Galatians 2:19b-20. My life is not my own; I am living for Him. My life belongs to Him. This leads me to the final part of living Coram Deo and that is living all my life to the glory of God. All of my life for His glory! This should be the goal of every follower of Christ. Our life’s goal should be to live for His glory. How do we do this? We must make a conscious effort to live out this purpose in our life.
We must make a conscious, daily, moment by moment decision to glorify Him. It means carefully considering whether our plans will glorify Him. It means carefully considering if our actions will glorify Him. It means we stop and consider how each choice will affect us. It may mean saying no to some things that we used to say yes to. It may mean changing up some priorities, goals, plans, etc. as we determine to focus only on doing what glorifies Him. It could mean changing the way we respond to things, especially those unexpected inconveniences and frustrations that we all love so well!
It means asking ourselves, “Will this glorify God” and responding accordingly. How can we do this? We will need to ask Him to help us! We will need His Holy Spirit to help us clearly discern what will and will not glorify God. This is also why it is so important to study and know His Word. We will find His will in His Word. We will find what glorifies God in His Word. If we truly desire to glorify God, we have to get to know His Word. If you want to glorify the God of the Word, get better acquainted with His Word. Living a life that is pleasing and glorifying to God begins by getting in His Word.
I don’t know about you, dear friend, but I have found myself more than a little convicted by the challenge presented here today. I have found more than a few areas of my life that need to be worked on. I confess, this Coram Deo challenge has been both intimidating and inspiring. If I am being completely transparent, a part of me feels uncomfortable with this challenge. This is a call to a higher level of surrender and holy living. However, I cannot allow my feelings to dictate my course of action. I do not want to live a mediocre life when I could live a life that truly glorifies my God.
Would a life lived intentionally Coram Deo be easy? No, it would not. Do I want easy, or do I want to live a life that truly honors and glorifies God? When I stand before Him someday, what kind of life do I want to have lived? Dear heart, I don’t know about you, but I think that in that moment, I would want to know that I had given my absolute best attempts at living a life that glorified Him! I think I would want to know that I had done my best to live all of my life in His presence, under His authority, and for His glory! I would want to know I had given my all for Him!
Coram Deo, “before the face of God” is the challenge before us, dear heart. A life truly lived in His presence, seeking only His will, and doing it all for His glory, would be a life worth living, wouldn’t you say? Beloved, does this challenge speak to your heart? Does it make you want to say yes to living a life determined to glorify Him? I pray that it does. I pray that each of us will be challenged and encouraged to live all of our lives in His presence, under His authority, and for His glory. May God give us the desire and courage to live out the Coram Deo challenge.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
Katrina Douglas
