There is a moment in each day that Satan cannot find.
— William Blake
I saw this quote today. My mind searched for a specific time or label for this moment in each day. I was tempted to answer, “Now. Now, the present moment, is the moment Satan cannot find.”
Many of the saints, and especially the mystics, say that God can only be found in the present moment, in the now. The past is done and over, and the future is not yet to be. Being is now, present tense, and God is being. God is eternally present to every when. You really only exist in the present. So if God is now, then Satan cannot be.
But that is not completely correct. If you are distracted from being in the now, then you are not being present to God. That does not mean you are sinning, but it at least opens the door for the possibility. Satan is very good at distracting us from God in the present moment by focusing our attention to the past or to the future. He has many, many overt and subtle methods.
So, God is definitely in the now, but Satan can be there too, if we let him distract us. But where is this moment in each day that Satan cannot be found?
As in math, let’s go back to definitions. The one that always works is “God is love.” Satan cannot be found in a moment of love. I suppose he could be, but he would have no influence there. A moment of love is a moment when you forget about yourself and give to another. That can be in a moment of true prayer or when you are serving another. That’s it. It always comes back to love, doesn’t? 🙂