Abiding in the Presence of God

To all those who have asked or emailed me about when I will be blogging again, I hope to soon get back to regular posts to Soli Deo Gloria related to the character of God. But for now, I want to share with you how God has been working in my live to draw me deeper into an awe and wonder of His glory.

Lately, God has been teaching me so much about abiding in His presence. It has been and I expect it will continue to be a humbling and exciting journey.

You lead me in the path of life;

I experience absolute joy in your presence;

you always give me sheer delight.

(Psalm 16:11 NET)

Abiding in the presence of God is both a fundamentally doctrinal reality and a very personal experience. It is both factual and mystical. It is a matter of the intellect – thinking rightly about God, but also a matter of the heart and soul. It is experiencing God as the one who is infinitely transcendent and yet so wonderfully near and intimate. It is recognizing that God is present everywhere at all times and yet, so beautifully and uniquely present with me, right here, right now as if He were no where else.

Abiding in God’s presence is not a place entered into casually or in a rush but it is available at any time in just a moment.

When you truly enter into the intimate presence of God you know it, because it is unmistakably characterized by peace, harmony, joy, a deep sense of contentment, fulfillment, and soul satisfaction, awe, wonder, confidence, humility, abandonment, surrender, devotion, and love. Yes, it is the place of deep love and affection – you love deeply and you know you are deeply loved.

In the presence of God, in the place of real intimate fellowship with him, all fears, worries, desires, and temptations fade away because in that place, nothing else matters, nothing else can penetrate this sacred place but the beauty of his presence.

It is a place where your head clears of all the fog, and everything becomes crystal clear – everything that really matters that is, for all other thoughts and distractions are shut out.

But it’s not about how you feel – though it is wonderful – for when you start to focus on how you feel, you know it is all wrong. It is all about Him. It is all about delighting in Him, not for the peace, joy and delight that IT BRINGS but just for the peace, joy and delight that HE IS. There is great blessing in dwelling in the presence of God, but the pursuit is never motivated by the blessing alone, in and of itself. It is purely motivated by the blessing of Him, knowing Him, possessing and being possessed by Him.

God, draw me into the joy of your presence, the sheer delight, peace and majesty of your glory. May I find my life in you and you alone. Grant that I would be so overwhelmed by your glorious beauty, majesty, holiness, and infinite perfection that it cannot be contained, that it would overflow in praise and worship, in declaration of your glory to all and in all.

SDG
Share