For Us

Hebrews 9 says For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

This verse and it’s message is so important for we who believe in what Christ did on the cross.  We sinners needed a savior – a spotless lamb – so that we could experience the presence of God in our lives.  You see, he is a holy God and we are not holy…yet.

Because of what Christ did on the cross and because he sits at the right hand of his Father’s throne – always making intercession for us – we too can appear before God unashamed and unafraid.  

We are completely accepted and made whole by the Holy One.

We must believe this truth.  And we must give thanks for Christ and what he did for us – doing it often – as a reminder of the fact that He did what we could not do for ourselves.

He reconciled us to God so that we might live…and not die.

That’s what he did and that’s where he is, in the presence of God – FOR US.

A Solemn Charge

II Tim 2:14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.

I have read that several verses mention doing things in the “presence of God” and this is one of them.  Being reminded about God’s presence being near is a good thing.  It’s like when a child remember his dad is in the room, so he straightens up in his chair, and at least looks like he’s listening.  And our heavenly father can see straight to our heart, so we have to sit up straight inside, as well!

We are told here to not “wrangle with words.”  It’s useless and leads to ruin.

When Christians sit and debate over “words” instead of agreeing together on “weightier” matters like grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love, they are causing more harm than good.  Debating to prove a point and come out on top as the winner only leads to pride, and that leads to a fall.

We aren’t called to debate people to Christ, but rather to love them, as he first loved us.

And that looks like laying down our lives for each other, not raising a fist over words.

Believing

Romans says (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”

This verse is referring to Abraham.  Remember, God promised his descendants to be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and then Abraham didn’t have any children for decades.  

He was too old, by most standards, to have the promise fulfilled through his body.

However, we serve a God who does these two amazing things:

Gives life to the dead

Calls into being that which does not exist.

Nothing is impossible with our God

Abraham believed God (and this was counted unto him as righteousness) and he stayed in His presence, and he hoped (even though he did mess up – God was faithful) against hope, and the promise was fulfilled.

Believe in God and all of his amazement and for all that seems impossible.

Hit Refresh

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;

We don’t hear much about repentance any more, because we’ve become a tolerant society so as to include all, love all, and accept all.  But sin is sin – that which is contrary to what God says to do – love Him with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves.

Repenting is just acknowledging our sin, asking forgiveness,and turning from it.  If we harbor a grudge, we confess it to Him, for example, we turn toward his love and forgiveness, and that sin is gone – wiped away – for good.

And when we do this, when we bow to his ways and his holiness, and offer him our shame and our sin, we get to experience “times of refreshing.”

Just imagine rolling in the mud full of worms and nasty bugs that make us itch and cause us pain – then coming into a hot shower that washes every trace of nasty away – and emerging into the sunshine being presented a clean robe to wear while we sip on cold drinks beach-side.

That’s how it is in his presence, when we come clean about our mess…

Fleeing...and Found

Jonah 1:10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

Did you know we can run from his presence?  But there are other verses that say that even if we make our bed in hell, his presence will find us.

Jonah was told by God to do something, and he didn’t want to do it, so he ran the opposite way.  We all know he ended up in the belly of a fish, but that didn’t stop God’s  presence from pursuing him right back to the place he belonged.

Some of us have children or family members or friends who are running from the presence of the Lord out of hurt, fear, misunderstanding, or lies they have believed about themselves and His goodness.

We can pray, we can ask, and the Lord is faithful to pursue those who flee.  Remember the story of the shepherd who goes after the one lost sheep?  God is not willing that any perish.  

He loves our friends and family more than we do.

Go chew on that thought, for a while.

God is faithful, even when we are not.

Boundaries

Jeremiah 5:22 ‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.

Have you ever stopped and considered all that God created and the order, the boundaries, the seasons, and the abundance that came out of the words he spoke?  He set the oceans in their place, and we cannot move them.  He spoke the stars and called them out one by one, and “marched them across the sky” into order.

Why then, do we think we know better than He, when it comes to how our lives should be set up and ordered?

Fearing God (honoring and revering him), trembling in his presence (because of his holiness awesomeness) is not something to be dreaded – it’s a place where we are welcome – because of Jesus.

In the presence of the Lord is where we can live, feel safe, experience order, and yes – even in storms – know that one word from his mouth will calm the seas in due time. 

Oh yeah, the waters can roar, but they can’t consume.  

Carried Away

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.

A beautiful illustration of the mercy and love of Jesus.

He came and experienced all of the struggles on earth – abandonment, ridicule, abuse, and even death – but his presence here on earth among us – saved us.

He came to extend love and mercy and purchase us back from sin and death and give us eternal life, healing, and hope – forever.

He presently lifts us and carries us when we are weak and torn.

That’s the kind of God we serve – the one in whose presence we live – the One who is the definition of love.

It’s all about Him. 

Against It

Isaiah 7:8 For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen, Because their speech and their actions are against the Lord, To rebel against His glorious presence.

Stumbled and fallen…have you been there?  I have.  I stumbled in my faith when I didn’t understand God and his ways, and I criticized them.  I fell away when I started to believe lies about his goodness and wavered in my stance of faith in his justice.

And then I rebel.  Against his glorious presence.

That’s when we get into trouble, when we raise a fist stating our ways are better than his, our understanding is necessary to believe, and our goodness deserves answers we demand.

That sort of attitude arises sometimes, but when we choose to hang on to it, it’s rebellion.  And rebellion leads to a stumble and a fall…away from the presence of the Holy God.

In fact, here we read that his presence is glorious (worthy of admiration).

I know that sometimes I need to just sit in his presence, at his feet, lay back against him, and be still – even when the storm is raging around me – and find that HE indeed is enough.

Fists go down, mouth closes, and heart repents.

And rest overtakes me…

Perspective

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

Well, this is wisdom, if I’ve ever read wisdom.

There are times when we quickly judge even God and begin to ask why, shake our head at his “lack” of care, or even criticize his perfect, good ways.  We all do it, when we are shaken and do not understand.

However, we can’t keep swimming in a sea of questions all of our lives.  At some point, we have to step out of that pool and observe something profound that we lose sight of, when we question incessantly.

God is in heaven (Our Father, in heaven).

We are on the earth (our vantage point is way different than His)

Silent, in awe, we recognize his holy name, and we bow…

Let His will be done, not ours.  Let his kingdom come, not the one we build.

On earth, as it is in heaven.

Leave

Proverbs 14:7 

Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

Don’t you love Proverbs’ direct voice? I do.

Most of the verses I’ve been sharing have to do with the presence of the Lord.  but here we have a strong directive that if we stay in the presence of a fool (a person who acts unwisely – because Proverbs is all about getting wisdom) we will completely miss out on knowledge.

Who we hang with, converse with, and do life with affects our actions and our hearts.  It’s hard to hear words of direction, comfort, and knowledge when words of folly, stupidity, and lies are screaming in our ears.

I know that if I go very many days without “hearing” the Word – the truth – because I’ve been tuning in to other voices full of speculation and fear – my discernment starts to wane. I am unable to distinguish between what I feel and what I know, that always leads to trouble.

Don’t dwell in the presence of fools.  

Seek out wisdom in his Word and live in His presence.

Where?

Ps 139:7-10 

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the dawn,

If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

Even there Your hand will lead me,

And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

What a comfort these verses are.

Have you ever been afraid because you lost the one you were with, either a friend, your child, or the party you came with?  It’s scary!  Especially, if you’re in an unfamiliar place.

There’s nowhere we can go where his presence is not with us.  That’s amazing, that’s comforting, and that’s reassuring that we will never be lost, never alone, never forsaken, and never left without direction.

Even if…we run and flee and dwell in places he does not take us…he pursues us and leads us if we will just grab his hand that is laying hold of us.

I want to lay back and close my eyes and think on these verses for a while today.  

What an awesome God we serve, who loves us like this!

Too Wonderful

Psalm 139: 4-6 Even before there is a word on my tongue,

Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It  is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Wow, there’s no one on earth who knows the words we are about to speak before we speak them, except Him.  

Maybe…if we’re really in tune with each other…our spouse might know what we’re about to speak in a certain situation.  And the only reason for that is that we’re known on a deep level.

Wow, we are protected (enclosed) because his hand is upon us.  To me, that indicates that anything that happens to me in this world cannot harm me or destroy me, because his hand covers me and heals.

Wow, just these two bits of knowledge – about his intimate care and knowledge – is almost daunting – almost brings me to my knees – almost blows me away.

He knows it all.

And he still loves me.

He Knows

I’m going to hang on Ps 139 for a few days:

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

You understand my thought from afar.

You scrutinize my path and my lying down,

And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

There’s no one like our God who knows us like he does, who knows our every move, our every thought, our every way.

That’s amazing, that someone who knows that much about us loves us and wants to be with us, and wants to enjoy our presence, too.

He searches us and knows every foul and evil thought we’ve ever had, every angry word we’ve ever said, and every fist we’ve ever raised in anger and frustration to him.

In fact, he’s “intimately acquainted” with us.

In fact, he searches the deep parts of our souls.

In fact, he knows our dreams when we are sleeping.

I want to be in the presence of a personal God like that, who’s got my back, who knows all that I need and all that I am, and who speaks to me friend to friend, father to daughter, King to princess, and Savior to sinner.

Like Wax

Ps 97 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,

At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

The heavens declare His righteousness,

And all the peoples have seen His glory.

I’ve never seen a mountain melt like was, but perhaps a volcano spewing lava is the picture here.  I’m not sure.

The heavens declaring his righteousness.  Have you seen that? 

The stars in their place – his righteous order.  The sun rising each morning – his righteous faithfulness.  The moon appearing in the dark of the night – his righteous care.  The rains in their seasons – his righteous abundance.

There is no excuse not to see and behold and believe the presence of the Lord.

Everyone has seen it.

But not everyone experiences His presence as a child in the presence of his Father, unless he/she believes.

O Come

Ps 95 O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God

And a great King above all gods,

When we come together to worship with other believers it’s so wonderful and powerful.  

Being together in a body of like-minded people who love God is something to experience.  

And when we arrive, we are told the attitude to have.

One of thanksgiving

One of joy

One of song

One of joy again

Why?

Because he’s great – a great King.

Are you a lover of his presence?  

You can be, when you realize that in his presence is fullness of joy.

In the Light

Ps 90: You have placed our iniquities before You,

Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

God is holy. We are not.  So when he shines the light of His presence over our lives it reveals all that is not holy.

That’s why he sent his son Jesus, so that when he looks upon us, he sees purity and holiness – through his son.

This enables our sins to be covered by Jesus’ blood.

When our iniquities (sin) seem to loom over us, be all that defines us, consume us with shame…then comes the light…

It shines and it sees…but it sees through the blood…and all shame is removed.

I want to live in the light of his presence, where sin is covered and shame is no more.

Why?

Psalm 42:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Sometimes, it’s a smart thing to do – to talk to our soul.  We sometimes ought to speak aloud and ask ourselves why we’re so blue and down – because once we hear ourselves ask – we can then hear ourselves answer.

Despair and disturbed.  These are two words that describe the state of this writer.  After all, he made big mistakes, enemies were after him, and often his life was at stake.  He had good reason to despair and to be disturbed.

We all do.  This world is a crazy place full of fear, full of meanness, full of selfishness, full of darkness.

However, remember that we are talking about the presence of the Lord, the presence that goes before us to lead us to the promised land, where the giants won’t be a problem.

After you question yourself out loud, then give yourself the answer.

HOPE IN GOD.

PRAISE HIM.

EXPERIENCE HIS PRESENCE.

That’s the smart thing to do.  And once you hear it, believe it.

The Table

Psalm 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.

I recently studied prayer and all that is produces, when it’s effective.  One of the things I desired was to find out how to eat at His table right in the presence of enemies like fear. 

Fear is one of the worst enemies we have, I think.  Fear cripples, it zaps our joy, and it whispers lies constantly – it is NO friend of mine – yet it shows up uninvited on a daily basis.

However, God has this table, this huge spread of abundance, right in this green meadow where he invites me to come and sit – even with the darkness of the forest surrounding me. 

He set boundaries in creation when he made the earth, so it’s no big deal for him to set boundaries where the darkness cannot cross over into the light, where the table sits.

I’m going to take a seat there right now. 

Won’t you join me?

Presence & Pleasures

Psalm 16:11 may be one of the most familiar passages in the bible, regarding His presence:

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever

I know that most of us want the joy that comes from being in his presence.  But I remember another verse that says it was the joy set before him that enabled him to go to the cross.  We don’t want that kind of joy – the kind that comes through suffering in obedience.

However, that’s part of the path of life – the suffering – and the joy that comes at the end of it.  And then after all of life’s suffering is passed, we have pleasures forever – in His presence.

It’s all about his presence.  We need to seek his presence, stay in it, thrive in it, follow it, and experience it.

Ask him to make knownto you the path of your life.

And then stay in his presence.  It’s the only way to experience real joy, no matter what life brings.

Hungry?

II Samuel 21:1 says  Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the Lord. And the Lord said,…

This is an interesting passage. There was a problem in the land – one of famine.  David walked with God and knew him, yet when this problem arose, David began to seek the presence of the Lord.

Is it possible that we can drift away from his presence?  

Adam and Eve left God’s presence when they disobeyed, so maybe David was looking at himself to see if there was any ill will toward God, or anything that was causing or bringing on the famine.

There are times when tough times come, due to our own mistakes or shortcoming.  There are other times when the rain falls, just because we’re standing under the heavy clouds.  But in either situation, the wisest thing to do is to seek his presence…to seek and search and see…if there is anything God wants to say to us.

And God was faithful to David, as he began to speak to him.

God will be faithful to us, as well, when we seek his presence in any time of need, even if we’re starving and thirsty.

In the Presence

Deuteronomy 14:23

You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.

More directives from a loving God who wants to bless us – we need to eat (enjoy his bounty) in his presence – the place where HE chooses to establish his name.

Wherever God establishes us is where we need to be, not where we push and pull to make a name for ourselves.  He might establish us in a local church, serving on a hospitality committee, at a school serving as a hall monitor, or at home serving as a devoted mom. 

Then once we are established, we must remember that we bear (carry) his name, and that all we have is from Him, and all that we can give is to Him, so that we may learn what it is to serve in, and enjoy, his presence.

There’s something life-giving about being in the presence of the Lord, where he is, and it should be our lifelong pursuit to understand how to stay where he is, and respond to his presence.