In His Presence

Psalm 63: 1-8

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings, I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Here’s a song I was inspired to write some time ago:

In his presence is fullness of joy

At his right hand are pleasures evermore

Holy Spirit, come and take full control

(For) In his presence is fullness of joy

If you’ve ever truly been in the presence of God you’ll know there’s nothing else like it. Just as a child seeks to spend as much time with his/her father/mother because of how warm their presence is, so also do we, God’s children, long for His presence. The problem for many of us is we’ve tasted other pleasures and are now confused as to which is most rewarding.

Some have tasted power as leaders in their organizations. Others have tasted the unique feeling of being with the opposite sex and long for such companionship. If we, however, search deep inside ourselves and are true to our core, we’ll affirm that God’s presence is unparalleled to none. Our deep core longs for God’s presence.

Nonetheless, you can’t rush through His presence, you can’t force it, you have to feel it. When a man seeks the companionship of his wife, he's somewhat intentional about warming His way in, might I liken our approach into God's presence to that? How then, in this busy world that is all-consuming of our time, do we truly dwell in his presence?

Well, you find optimal time, preferably daily, in seclusion away from your norm. For some people it’s at 430am, for others, it’s waking up at midnight for an hour while the whole house is asleep. And for the busy entrepreneur or traveler who travels for work frequently it’s on a plane, on the train, or between flights. Wherever you find that solitude to commune with God, hold on to it, but don’t be afraid to change it from time to time for new inspirations. You have to feed your soul with what it longs for to be productive in life. Trying to be productive daily without first feeding your soul with God is like planting a tree expecting it to grow branches without first watering the root.

Find that time. Your success in life depends on it.

Best wishes,

L.B.