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I want to be with those that I enjoy.
I like the conversation, the comradery, and a lot of times, just joking. During a dinner with good friends, the barriers come down and we start telling stories – about ourselves and others – and we laugh.
Have you ever felt renewed after an evening with friends?
Psalm 22:3 says, “The Lord inhabits the praises of His people” (OGV/KJV).
N.T. Wright describes a concert. There was a moment when a performer concluded a song. Everyone was silent. Then at once, the entire audience rose and applauded.
The moment was transcendent. The performance united everyone in the concert hall and, as they rose in unison, they were changed. Nothing else mattered… at least at that moment… they experienced joy!
I seek the Lord because I find joy in His presence. The joy of God’s presence is discovered in worship, through prayer, or reading scripture and…
I become a new person – old habits dead, attitudes released to freedom, and peace.
These euphoric moments of the Lord’s presence don’t last. During worship, the whirlwind of my life stops as I see God and feel His presence.
Then I leave the sanctuary and get a call about a problem. The whirlwind starts again.
The author of Hebrews writes…
Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near (Hebrews 10:25, NLT).
The presence of God manifests in worship. I need to worship often!
Bill Johnson writes in his book, Hosting the Presence of God,…
Our true nature and personality will never come to fullness apart from His manifest Presence. Learning to host Him is at the center of our assignment, and it must become our focus so that we can have the success He desires before Jesus returns.
The presence of God changes me. I become what God intends.
- His presence chases away the shadow of sins, allowing me to see my destiny.
- His presence destroys my fears, enabling steps of faith toward my calling.
- His presence draws me closer to others in unity.
Forgiveness, my calling, and close relationships – all elements of Biblical peace.
When I experience God’s presence, He always leads me to obedience. Jesus says in His Great Commission, “Go … and I will be with you to the end of the age.”
There is a “to be” in God’s presence and a “to do” because I have been in God’s presence.
I go, I pray for others, stand for truth, forgive, and give generously – all inspired from God’s presence. If I attempt these actions without presence they become works or dry rituals.
Presence, Peace, Sacrifice, Joy, Calling, and Obedience – God is calling me back to His presence today.
He is calling you too!