Sitting in the Presence of God

What treasure we have - an intimate relationship with God who loves us so much and almighty God wants to be close to us, to share what's on His heart.

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God has recently been speaking to us about sitting in His Presence and waiting on Him: 2 Corinthians 4:18 ‘So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal’. As we wait on Him, we remember that God is with us and there are times in our lives when God's Presence is very real however these are not the norm. We live by faith and by understanding the scriptures and we know that not only does He dwell in us but He is also with us. So, as we sit in His Presence, we are abiding in Christ.

John 15:4 tells us; ‘Remain in me, as I also remain in you….’. To know and acknowledge that God is always with us requires discipline. When we pray, we look to God, sovereign over all – we look up and out of ourselves to the triune God. As we wait in His Presence, just sitting, knowing that He is with us, He loves us and always wants to speak to us, we can hear what He says to us. He once said to me that I was to snuggle up to him. How beautiful is that?! Earlier this year Jesus said to me that I was to rest in His arms and not to worry about things. I know He loves me however I was not receiving His love at that time because I was too concerned about 'stuff'. He led me to Luke 10:38-44 where He tells Martha that she is concerned about many things however Mary has chosen the better way’ to sit at His feet.

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Waiting on God is not meant to be stressful, it is simply resting in Him. It is a discipline because we have wandering and busy minds set on the things of earth. When our minds wander, we need to just bring it back to that place of silence and being in the Presence of God. It doesn't matter if we have to continually do this, we will win the battle, even if not at the first time of doing it. There will also be times when we don't hear His voice but that doesn't matter either, it is enough just to be in His Presence. We lead such busy lives that we can find it difficult to just sit and not to be doing something. 

C.S Lewis writes about it in his book, ‘Mere Christianity’; ‘Christ says, Give me all. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work - I want you’. ‘That is why the real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning.  All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And your first job each morning consists in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.  And so on, all day....  We can only do it for moments at first.  But from those moments the new sort of life will be spreading through our systems because now we are letting Him work at the right part of us’. Jesus is our great example. Henry Nouwen writes of Jesus; ‘His primary concern was to be obedient to his father, to live constantly in his presence. Only then did it become clear to him what his task was in his relationship with people’.  I have quoted these writers because they put it much better than I can.

What treasure we have - an intimate relationship with God who loves us so much and almighty God wants to be close to us, to share what's on His heart. I love what one of our Deacons said recently – How God had shown her that it's like sitting on the sofa next to her husband and reading a book about him!  God wants an intimate relationship with us!

Finally, in order to hear God, we must read the Bible. The scriptures keep us in the truth and will show us if we get into wrong thinking because the Bible is corrective as well as speaking truth.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’. There is not one of us who cannot wait on God and sit in His Presence and when we do, the rewards are great. So, if you have never done it, now is the time to start!

Author: Muriel Allen

May God bless and enrich your life

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