Daily devotion – in His presence
Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
During a time of drought, the psalmist saw a deer panting and struggling to reach water to quench its thirst. This image reminded him of his own passionate thirst for God and it drove him to pilgrimage to the Temple of Jerusalem, so he could worship and be in the presence of God. To quench the thirst for God’s presence deep within his soul.
He says later on in verse 8, that the Living God was the God of his life – The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.
All those who have received Christ as their Lord and Savior, who have had their sins washed clean by the sacrifice of Christ’s death on the cross, have within them this driving passion to be in God’s presence. To just sit before Him, and enjoy being at His feet. This was the constant story of Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, who we always find at Jesus feet.
There are two ways God has provided for us to enjoy His presence in this beautiful way.
The first is alone with Him, Bible open, heart open in prayer and not asking for anything just sitting alone with Him. This is one of the greatest joys of human existence.
The second way is with God’s people, His Church, gathered collectively singing, praising, worshipping, praying together before the Head of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ.
People who do not know Christ have never experienced such wonders and sadly miss the very reason for our creation – Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
On a recent visit with a close family member of ours who does not know Christ personally, on leaving being with him, my heart ached for him to know Christ in the way that I now enjoy.
Let us leave no stone unturned, no hour of prayer aside, that we may win our loved one’s to Christ so that besides the great gift of salvation, they too may experience sitting in the presence of the Creator the Lord God almighty!
Time is short…..and running out!