How sweet are those moments when we experience God’s
presence in a tremendous way. It is not
that God is more real, more present, more engaging during those moments. It is that we are more aware.
I want this communion with our Lord more often. I want this for you.
I notice that my awareness is intensified when I am quiet
before our Lord. By quiet, it is not
that we never speak; for often, we lament; we praise; we plead; we seek; we intercede. By
quiet, it is that we are fully engaged; it is that we are seeking to quiet all
else besides God’s voice; it is that we are listening restfully to our Lord.
Stillness in our environment is uncommon. Deliberate stillness in our environment is
even more uncommon. But the more we
experience the Lord’s presence in such an intense, undisturbed way, the more we hunger to experience the Lord.
I pray the Lord fills you with the desire to be still before Him.
I encourage you to be intentional about exercising quietness. And it is not always fun. And sometimes it is grueling. But this practice of denying all other things besides our Lord is good. And you will experience Christ
in a more keen way.
We are inundated
with stimuli that dull our awareness of the Lord’s presence. Deliberate stillness will sharpen our
communion with Christ. The
more we practice quietness before Christ, the easier it will become.
I pray we become acutely aware of God’s presence—our Lord is
everywhere. I pray we exercise
deliberate stillness before our Lord. I pray our distractions decrease, and our communion with God increases.
Praise God that we can always experience Him in a deeper way.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among
the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
(Psalm 46:10 NIV).
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one
who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:26, 27 NIV).
“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel,
says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your
strength, but you would have none of it….’”
(Isaiah 30:15 NIV).
And sometimes it's a drink-a-full-pot-of-coffee-by-yourself-kind-of-day. For those of us who are still trick-or-treating in our adult years, please put on another pot.
Much love to you,
Paige
I love this. Sometimes it is such a battle: first, to make time for this, and make it a priority in a world that pushes so many other priorities and claims on our time; second, to be quiet at all, with all the thoughts and fears and worries and to-do's that clamor for our attention; and third, to be willing because it IS so uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. And yet, to spend time with the ONLY ONE that TRULY knows us and loves us UNCONDITIONALLY - could there ever really be anything better or more worthwhile? No wonder satan fights us on this.
ReplyDeleteI have been studying how to walk with God and hear Him continually and this is such a crucial part of that - awareness of Him. He's always there, always willing and available and loving...I just want to learn to look for HIm and recognize Him. Lord, help me!