Suggestions on Practicing God’s Presence

 

To live in the conscious presence of the Lord is one of the privileges of our calling in Christ. When we are abiding in His Presence, the burdens of this life cannot grip us as they normally do.

 

“Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

 

How can I practice His abiding presence?

 

1) Wait on the Lord: Begin each day by rising up early and sit before Him. Consecrate your life afresh to be a part of His will and purpose in the earth. Ask Him to cleanse and forgive you, and to open your spirit to Him. Be aware of those things He has done for you and His answers to prayer. For the Lord truly appreciates being appreciated.

 

Have you ever come to the Lord just to sit in His presence and fellowship with Him? We can be so taken up with asking for things that we forget that He has personal feelings, too. You might feel strange if people only came to you when they wanted something.

 

2) Worship the Lord: Praise, the Bible states, is the fruit of our lips. At times our praise can become lip service rather than luscious fruit to God. This is something to be reckoned with. What is worship? Worship is that which cries out from deep within to bless the Lord. Praise can be singing to the Lord, but worship is singing before the Lord. “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23). To come to this higher level requires a special creative working of God within us as we wait before Him. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18). Entering into a more vital worship and waiting in His presence is a life changing experience.

 

3) Meditating on God’s Word: “My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord” (Ps 104:34). There is a sweetness in His presence, holding His word before Him during the day. The word “meditate” comes from an old English word which literally means, “to chew the cud,” to ponder, to turn over in one’s mind. When we meditate on His word, we receive a strength and an understanding that we cannot get otherwise. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. . .” (John 1:14). This is God’s very life and nature entering the depths of our being as we sit with Him meditating on His word!

 

4) Smell the Roses Along the Way: There is a saying that rings with meaning: “As you go throughout the garden of life, don’t forget to smell the roses along the way.” There are joys and many things to be experienced as we walk out our life in God. It is possible to get so busy that we lose the joy of our salvation, becoming too mechanical for simple things. But God hides Himself in simplicity. If we learn to enjoy where we are in God appreciating what God is doing with and in us, we will make much more progress in our Christian life.

 

If you smell enough roses, you will soon smell like a rose too!