In the presence of God is the
only spot on this earth where the fullness of joy resides. He offers us
pleasures that last throughout eternity (Psalm 16:11; 139: 23-24).
We often look for natural,
human experiences with God, but His ways are so much higher than ours. God enjoys sitting with us in silence; no
revelations, no rushing wind, no mighty supernatural gifts deposited in our
life. Just golden silence in the presence of our King Jesus.
At other times, we need a notebook to keep track of all the ideas He
imparts to us during these intimate times of devotion.
We may make a to-do list for our day, or a prayer list of people He wants
us to lift up in our prayers that day, or people we need to forgive or those
from whom we need to ask forgiveness.
Only as we deliberately enter the recesses within our own soul, and only as
we conquer the clutter in our life and thoughts, and empty our self of selfish
ambition and attitudes, can we hope to discover His presence in our life.
However, the amount of clutter in our soul leaves no room for Him to make
His presence known to us. God will give us a plan to straighten up the inner
and the outer clutter in our life.
Listening to God with our undivided attention in these times of aloneness
is the key to growing spiritually. We find that we look forward to our times
alone with God.
Prayer:
Father God, when we abide in You, negative emotions such as fear,
confusion, distress, distrust, and dread no longer fill every recess of our
soul. We learn to trust in You regardless of the natural events taking place
around us. We sit with awe-filled wonder at the magnificence of Your will and
way in our life.
Give us this day only that which we need to serve You; and teach us to wait
patiently on You for each new day, hour and moment that You give us to attend to
You with our whole heart. We release our negative emotions to You and receive
from You the cry of Your heart instead.
Thought for the Day:
Ephesians 3:16-19 (Amplified Bible)…“ May God
grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and
reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself
indwelling your innermost being and personality]. 17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make
His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and
founded securely on love, 18 That you
may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all
the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the
breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; 19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for
yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without
experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being]]unto
all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence,
and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
