Tag Archive for presence of God

Face-to-face with the Living God

To You I lift up my eyes,
O You who are enthroned in the heavens!
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He is gracious to us.
(Psalm 123:1-2, NASB)

I remember clearly when I first trusted Jesus Christ. It was the last night of a revival in our local church with evangelist Rev. Jay Budd. All week a fear of hell had been building in my 10-year-old mind, but I was too shy to go forward during the altar call. So when we arrived home after church on that Sunday night, April 10, 1960, I went into my parents’ bedroom and told them I wanted to pray to become a Christian.

I still remember my burning desire not to lose the amazing new feeling that filled my heart.

But my deepest and most formative memory of that evening is my new awareness of the Living God. I had the sensation of Him standing right in front of me, looking straight into my eyes. The reality was stark and gripping. He filled my heart’s vision. I could not ignore Him or look past Him. But His look was not threatening. He was not angry with me. His look was love…nothing but love.

I think of that when I read the account of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9. Paul was making a career of trying to stamp out Christianity, and suddenly, in a moment in time, he turned around 180 degrees and became one of its most fervent advocates. Within a few days he was publicly contending for the truth he had violently opposed. The change did not happen through years of studying and thinking. Like me, he simply came face-to-face with the Living Christ. Few words were exchanged. The gripping reality of Jesus Christ transformed him completely in a moment in time, and he was never the same.

Like Paul, my life and ministry continues to be energized by the stark reality of Father God, revealed so vividly and personally in Jesus Christ. To my ears, so much of our Christian talk is about religion, and religion can be such a human thing. It pales before the Living God. He still fills my heart’s vision, as He did on that evening over 55 years ago. He draws me. He drives me. My relationship with Him shapes every aspect of my life. When He speaks, all other voices are just background noise. When He commands, my path is clear, regardless of opposition. My heart has room for nothing and no one else.

As with Noah, Abraham, Isaiah, and Paul, God Himself, in His person, makes all other considerations irrelevant. He is the Source and Center of all reality. He is all wisdom, all power, and all love. He calls, I answer. What else matters but Him?

We spend our lives
fearfully holding God at arm’s length,
not realizing that His only goal is
to fulfill us completely,
to make us happy,
loving,
wise,
fruitful,
glorious, and
at peace with Himself and all creation.

Hymn: Lord, May Our Thoughts Begin with You

Knowing the Transcendent God: My Personal Story 2

As we begin looking at our magnificent, transcendent God, I am reflecting on how He has patiently drawn me toward Himself. Here is the second of four major turning points.

In my early-to-mid-twenties, as I was entering adulthood, I longed to be all God wanted me to be. But I didn’t really know how, despite a thorough grounding in the Church’s teachings. I tried self-discipline, thinking that it held the answer to a productive and fruitful life. I tried in-depth Bible study, suspecting that somewhere in its pages were hidden secrets that only the astute could discover. Both self-discipline and Bible study are important, but neither proved to be the answer I was seeking.

Over time I realized that God doesn’t reserve His blessings only for the spiritual elite. In fact, I learned the opposite. God graciously showed me that the secret to a satisfying life was the simple truth I had learned as a young child in Sunday School: God is a real Being, and He is constantly, personally with us. What’s more, what He wants from us is amazingly, stunningly simple: He only asks that we trust Him, one step at a time.

Even as I say this now, the words seem so plain. But the personal realization of an ever-present God and a relationship of simple faith began to change me.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: You Are Near, O Lord
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Present Lord

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Almighty, High Exalted God,
Holy, untouched, unseen;
Yet in Your love You draw me near –
No one can come between.

Creator, Father, Present Lord,
Loving Companion, Friend,
When You reveal how real You are,
Fear and its struggles end.

Worship and working, joy and rest,
Speaking and listening flow;
Freed by the truth that You are here,
Love in its beauty grows.

Nourish a full, wholehearted trust
That I might gladly trace
How far beyond all thought You are,
Yet see You face to face.

The Joy of Your Presence

Inspired by Psalm 84

O Father, how I love being in Your presence!
When I realize that I am with You,
all I am sings for joy,
body,
mind, and
spirit.

You are infinitely above me
in excellence,
in power, and
in holiness.
Yet when I am with You, I sense that
this is where I belong.
I know a freedom,
a rightness,
a rest in You.

This life is not easy, Father.
The needs never end.
There is weariness,
darkness, and
deep sorrow.
But when I realize that all of life is a journey to You,
everything changes!
Weariness turns to praise.
Darkness shines with Your unfailing goodness.
Sorrow is matched with an inexpressible joy.
Your presence lights my pathway every day.
But what is more,
You Yourself are the heaven toward which I travel.

O Father, absorb my
every thought and
every desire.
You are my joy,
now and forever!

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Psalm 84
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Children of the King

Jesus said that when we believe in Him, we become citizens of the Kingdom of God. He taught us about living in that Kingdom, and many of His teachings seem strange, difficult, or even backward to us: “Do not worry about your life…” (Matthew 6:25); “Love your enemies…” (Matthew 5:44); “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). According to the Beatitudes, those who are blessed in God’s Kingdom are not the rich, powerful, and popular, but the poor, meek, and persecuted (Matthew 5:3-12).

As citizens of God’s Kingdom who live in this world as well, we feel that tension. We’re called to simply trust God when fear and worry feel more natural. We’re commanded to love some very unlovely and unkind people. We’re told to be lowly servants when our ego craves gold and glory.

But here’s the key. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we live in the court of the King. This King is our Father, and we are His royal children. He is loving. He is wise. He is infinitely powerful. And this King is always, always, always with us, constantly looking out for our good, eager to provide for our every need.

Jesus teaches us that we should think and live as such royal children, in the immediate presence of our Father. When we do, everything changes! God is love, so we want to love everyone He loves. His resources are unlimited, so generosity is natural and affordable. Jesus’ upside-down teachings suddenly start to make perfect sense! When we trust ourselves to our Father’s care, we are free to live and love and give as Christ taught.

Remember: you are living in the presence of the King!

Listen and sing:
Hymn: What a Strange and Wonderful Kingdom!
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Face-to-face with the Living God

I remember clearly when I first trusted Jesus Christ. It was the last night of a revival in our local church with evangelist Rev. Jay Budd. All week a fear of hell had been building in my 10-year-old mind, but I was too shy to go forward during the altar call. So when we arrived home after church on that Sunday night, April 10, 1960, I went into my parents’ bedroom and told them I wanted to pray to become a Christian.

I still remember my burning desire not to lose the amazing new feeling that filled my heart.

But my deepest and most formative memory of that evening is my new awareness of the Living God. I had the sensation of Him standing right in front of me, looking straight into my eyes. The reality was stark and gripping. He filled my heart’s vision. I could not ignore Him or look past Him. But His look was not threatening. He was not angry with me. His look was love…nothing but love.

I think of that when I read the account of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9. Paul was making a career of trying to stamp out Christianity, and suddenly, in a moment in time, he turned around 180 degrees and became one of its most fervent advocates. Within a few days he was publicly contending for the truth he had violently opposed. The change did not happen through years of studying and thinking. Like me, he simply came face-to-face with the Living Christ. Few words were exchanged. The gripping reality of Jesus Christ transformed him completely in a moment in time, and he was never the same.

Like Paul, my life and ministry continues to be energized by the stark reality of Father God, revealed so vividly and personally in Jesus Christ. To my ears, so much of our Christian talk is about religion, and religion can be such a human thing. It pales before the Living God. He still fills my heart’s vision, as He did on that evening over 55 years ago. He draws me. He drives me. My relationship with Him shapes every aspect of my life. When He speaks, all other voices are just background noise. When He commands, my path is clear, regardless of opposition. My heart has room for nothing and no one else.

As with Noah, Abraham, Isaiah, and Paul, God Himself, in His person, makes all other considerations irrelevant. He is the Source and Center of all reality. He is all wisdom, all power, and all love. He calls, I answer. What else matters but Him?

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Present Lord
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Welcome in His Holy Presence

from the devotional book, PICTURES OF GOD

Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-25; 12:18-24

Before Jesus Christ, God’s holiness was often met with fear…with shame…with vain attempts to make themselves worthy. For some who unworthily came too near God, His holiness brought death.

In Jesus Christ, we draw near to our holy God

  • at His special invitation
  • with a clean conscience
  • completely blameless
  • with confidence and full assurance
  • in the glad and loving company of other children of God
  • with great joy
  • assured that He is always ready to give us whatever we need

The book of Hebrews paints a beautiful picture of all the wonderful realities that are now ours in Jesus Christ. My favorite is Hebrews 2:11: 

Both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren (NASB).

Jesus Christ is holy, transcendent, and utterly sinless and pure. Without Him, we are the opposite. But as we trust Him, He gladly puts His arms around us and calls us His brothers and sisters. By simple faith, we become children of the same Father and are welcomed as members of the family.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15, NASB)

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Our Destiny Is Jesus Christ
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I Am with You Always

[Jesus said], “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20, NASB).

God, my Father, my Creator,
You are always with me.
You are a real being, and
You are always here with me.

You love me.
Your eyes and Your heart are always on me.

Yet I seldom think of You.
I seldom realize that You are here.
I seldom talk to You or
acknowledge You in any way.

You care about me,
but I don’t ask Your wisdom.
You provide everything I need,
yet I am so anxious.
You honor me with Your presence,
yet I ignore You.

Father, it is good to be with You right now.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: You Are Near, O Lord
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Printed Music & Lyrics