Being Present in His Presence

I’ll be the first to admit that when things get busy, my time with God is one of the first things to go. I’m also the first to be upset if things aren’t going my way even when my prayer/church/bible study patterns are strong.

When things get hard, I forget God is there.

Enter Elijah.

He’s been led to a cave by Mount Horeb, feeling dejected and frustrated. Elijah’s done his part, remained faithful and yet he is being persecuted.

In his hopelessness, God calls Elijah to meet with him.

“Go out and stand on the mountain in the LORD’s presence.”

Still, in his suffering and questions, Elijah experiences the presence of God, not in the wind or earthquake, or fire, but through a gentle whisper.

Elijah has known the power of standing in God’s presence before.

As the LORD God of Israel lives, in whose presence I stand […]

Then Elijah said, “As the LORD of Armies lives, in whose presence I stand, today I will present myself to Ahab.

God has Elijah’s next mission in sight, but He knows Elijah isn’t ready yet. To hear from Him, Elijah needs to spend some time in God’s company.

In His love and grace, God reminds Elijah of this and draws him back to a familiar close encounter of His presence, to set him back on the right path.

What do you need to do to be ready to hear from God?

If you want a relationship to grow, you need to give the person your time. In dating, this can be way too easy. We can be so besotted with someone that everything and everyone else falls by the wayside. They can have all our time because we love them. Surely God is desperate for some of that devotion too!

It's not about "doing more stuff" but simply spending time on our own with God. Are we willing to ‘waste time’ enjoying being present with our LORD who knows us more intimately than any partner or spouse ever could?

Like Elijah, we’re called to bring God into our current moment by standing in His presence. Through His gentle whispers of love, our hearts will learn to lean on the One who we fully can trust.

Trust means giving God your time to be with Him.

Let him fill you with His presence.