Into His Presence

 March 3, 2023

Here’s a little secret: Not every time I open the Bible does something jump out at me as a message from the Lord. Lots of times, I read. And read. And read. Nothing. But I keep reading because it is the most sure way of hearing from God. Visions, dreams, oozy-woozy feelings can be fun, but there’s no guarantee any of that is from God.

When my mind is dull or my body weary to the point that I’m not very receptive, I’ve found it helps to begin praising and thanking God for any and everything I can think of. In Psalm 95:2 tells us to come before his presence with thanksgiving. While Psalm 100 reminds us to “Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

(Psalm 100:2, 4)

Whenever we give thanks, we switch the focus of our thoughts from ourselves to God, which is what worship is all about. If all I think about is whether or not I feel God’s presence, I have stepped away from it. We are to come before him with a humble heart, which doesn’t mean thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. 

So tonight even though my reading didn’t yield spiritual nuggets, I praise and thank God. I was able to get out of bed this morning. My mind is working well enough to continue with my Spanish lessons (Gloria a Dios!), and my friend Clark is willing to tutor me. I have the love of my wife, a warm home, peace with God, the assurance of forgiveness, and salvation from my sins through faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning death on the cross. I’m not experiencing some spiritual high, but I don’t need to. My focus is on Jesus Christ who alone is worthy of my praise. That focus takes me into his presence with joy (Hebrews 13:20-21).