The Presence of God

I can remember as a little girl sensing the Presence of the Lord, but I did not know what it was.  I grew up in church—sitting quietly with a coloring book or a doll in the morning service and getting very sleepy and dozing in an evening service…but I can recall something being different when the adults would worship and pray.  There was a sweetness in the room, a calm and peace, a warmth and security…   

Even as a preteen, distracted by my friends, sitting in the unofficially designated “youth section” of the sanctuary, there were times when in the midst of worship, the sweet Presence of the Lord would capture my attention and tears would fill my eyes.  I didn’t understand it at the time, but later I realized that the Presence of the Lord was in that place, and I was experiencing it. 

At fourteen, I surrendered my life to the Lord, but it wasn’t until I was nineteen that I realized that I could not get enough of, nor could I live without, the Presence of the Lord.  His Presence became life to me.  He wooed me and drew me so close to Him that His Presence was my next breath.  I lived for the moments that I could just sit quietly in His Presence and pray and worship, and then the closer I got to Him I realized that His Presence was with me all day long…I just had not been aware of it yet.  

Still, even now, nothing can melt my heart quicker than God’s Presence.  No matter the stress of a day, the fear of a situation…in an instant, His Presence can undo every worry and fear.  Psalm 97:5 says, “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.”  In Psalm 16:11, David declares, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  And Peter proclaims in Acts 3:19, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” 

The Presence of God can shake the earth, bring joy, refreshing, and so much more.  The whole Bible—Old and New Testament—speaks of the aspects of God’s Holy Presence.  Today, as you worship in the sanctuary, on your bed, in your car, walking down the street, let God’s Presence surround you, fill you, refresh you, and shake you.