Presence & Power预览

THE PURSUIT OF HIS PRESENCE

Where is God’s presence?

God is everywhere and in everything; as Psalm 139 tells us, there is nowhere we can hide from Him! He created everything from Himself and is reflected in all we see. Yet He is distinct from His creation. He is omnipresent and with us always; at work, in the car, in nature, and our friendships. Yet He wants us to desire His presence. The word ‘presence’ in Hebrew is the same word for ‘face.’ He wants to be personally found and known, face-to-face with us. Psalm 139 says, ‘How precious to me are Your thoughts.’ Jeremiah implores us to ‘seek Him with all our heart!’ The reality is that we are spiritual beings who will only be satisfied by the presence of God. Let’s be the ones who passionately pursue His presence!

God seeks to dwell with us. The Bible starts and ends with God’s presence with us. From the very beginning, God initiated relationship as He walked and talked with Adam, spoke to Moses face to face and called Abraham a ‘friend of God’. He longs for fellowship with us. 2 Corinthians 13:14 says, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” However, imagine a friend hanging out with you all day, but you’re on your phone or reading a book. Their presence is with you, but you are not engaging in their presence. The same is true with God; we have to practice and pursue His presence. James 4:8 promises, “draw near to Me and I will draw near to you”.

Daily practicing His presence can look like your devotional time, which is great quality time, but more than that; it looks like your every day - talking to Him in the car while traveling, involving Him at work when you need some wisdom, asking for patience when your kids might be testing it! A great way to start is with thanksgiving, be in awe that the great “I Am” wants to know you and bring His peace, wisdom, comfort, joy, and strength into every part of your day. Pursuing His presence takes our eyes off ourselves and onto Him. It is the intentional practice of friendship with the Creator Himself.

Today, meditate on and thank God for His presence. Talk to Him about whatever is on your mind, and listen back. As you head into your day, practice continually pursuing His presence.