Hungry for His Presence

In my last blog I
shared about how the presence of God has transformed my life. I have known His presence for the last 30
years, yet I am still learning so much…

Have you ever
hungered for the presence of God?

I have. Just
yesterday as a matter of fact. Oh, I
didn’t know it right away. I just felt a
little uneasy. Like I needed
something. I had several thoughts
running through my mind. Nothing earth
shattering, just the usual day to day stuff.
Maybe I was a little bit lonely and I had some unanswered questions and
I was under a little pressure to accomplish a few things. Not really anxious, but unsettled.

So I jumped on the treadmill, turned on the t.v., and got my
workout in. That’s always a big guilt trip for me on days when I don’t
accomplish it, so I thought it would make me feel just right. It was good, but not “all that” if you know
what I mean. So I got some work done, I called a friend, and did some
reading. I’m always glad when I can
check things off of my to-do list (not the friend part). But I still had that uneasy feeling.

As I grabbed a bite of chocolate I turned on some music to
wash dishes by. The first two songs and
my dishes were done. But even better, with
the first two songs my heart had tuned in to the Father in worship and I spent
the rest of the CD fully surrendered in His presence. I spent time giving Him praise-telling Him
what He means to me, singing with my heart.

But don’t you know that as I was giving to Him, He met with me,
ministered to me, loved me, released me from burdens, encouraged me, spoke to
me, and filled me. He knew exactly where
I was and what I needed. He desired me and longed for the attention of my
heart. And I finally became satisfied and content and was deeply aware of His
intimate presence throughout the day.
Yes, I faced my Father and found life once again.

I thought about the Psalms saying that He inhabits the
praise of His people. So I looked it up
and found that when He inhabits it means that He sits down. It means to sit down, to settle down, to
dwell, to remain, return, tarry, and abide.
Somehow my praise draws His attention in a way that causes Him to settle
down in the midst of me! He remains and
He dwells among my praise. He sits down with me. And I am changed.