It’s so easy to get sucked into living life at a frantic, unsustainable pace that leaves you tired, weary, and eventually dry and empty.
What if there’s a better way?
The expression “coram deo” is a Latin term that means, “before the face of God.” According to famed Bible teacher, R.C. Sproul, it means to live “in the presence of God, under the authority of God, for the glory of God.”
CORAM DEO — “before the face of God,” “in the presence of God, under the authority of God,
for the glory of God.”
Imagine living every moment of your life like that.
- In the PRESENCE of God.
Whatever you do today, wherever you do it, you can do it in the presence of God.
Whether it’s raising three preschool children who are filled with more energy than you know how to manage.
Or, running an excavator at a construction site.
Or, managing a sales team.
Or, taking care of an aging parent or grandparent,
Or, going to a college class where they’ll discuss the merits of critical theory.
Whatever you do, wherever you do it, you can do it in the presence of God.
“…you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in Your presence, O God, in Your life-giving light.”
—Psalm 56:13 NLT
Psalm 56:13 in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible contains the expression, “coram deo.” Somehow the writer realized that his salvation didn’t just apply to the here-after, it applies to the here-and-now. God rescued him so that he could live this life “walking in God’s presence” and living “in” His “life-giving light.” In other words, so he could live “coram deo.”
What a way to live! We can live in the presence of God. And,
- Under the AUTHORITY OF GOD.
Imagine bringing the authority of God into every situation you face today.
Imagine living every moment as if you were placed on this planet to push hell back and pull heaven down.
Imagine living every moment as to fulfill the prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6:9-10 when He taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Imagine the power of living out the challenge Jordan Peterson recently gave to an audience in England when he challenged them to live in such a way as to “tilt the world toward heaven and away from hell.”
That’s what living under the authority of God looks like.
It’s bringing His comprehensive rule and reign to bear on every decision we make, every action we take, and every attitude we allow to reside in us.
It’s remembering the words of Jesus when He said, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth…” (Matthew 18:18-20). It’s living with the confidence that Jesus also said, “Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy…” (Luke 10:19).
We can choose to live under God’s authority. In His kingdom. Or, we can continue to do life for the very small and with the very limited power of the “kingdom of me.”
- Finally, we can live FOR HIS GLORY.
We can live with the heart of the writer of Psalm 115:1 who wrote:
“Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.” —Psalm 115:1 NIV
The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with this question:
“What is the chief end and duty of man?”
The answer is profound.
“To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
That’s why we were placed on this planet.
It’s not about us.
It’s always about HIM.
The expression, “shoot your shot” means, “go for it.” It means, “You may only get one chance, so take it.”
We only get one shot at life. We can live it running scared, being frantic, and eventually running down or wearing out. Or, we can live CORAM DEO. There’s a different way to do life.
We don’t have to get sucked into a pattern of making it all about us — our plans, prerogatives, and abilities.
We can live IN HIS PRESENCE where there “…is fulness of joy…and pleasures for evermore” (Ps 16:11).
We can live UNDER HIS AUTHORITY remembering that we “…belong to God…and have overcome…because the one who is in [us] is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
We can live for HIS GLORY remembering that “whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, [we can] do it for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Shoot your shot! Live “coram deo” — in His presence, under His authority, and for His glory!