Joy in His Presence

Last week we started talking about the Presence of God and we are going to continue that this week. Psalm 139:17-18 says, “Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me.”

What sort of thoughts is God having about you, you may wonder. Jeremiah 29:11 answers this question and it says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” God’s mind is full of good thoughts towards us. So when He draws near to us and we can feel His Presence, we ought not be afraid and draw back. But we need to approach Him like children. His Presence is a gift and a blessing. 

Psalm 16:11 says, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” You may be thinking, but that’s all in the old testament. It’s OK, Acts 2:28 has got us covered and it says, “You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence”.

So we see that the Presence of God is something that brings us joy. Yes, when we experience the real deal Presence of God we will find joy, peace, comfort, healing, restoration, salvation… whatever we need, it’s in Him. As children of God we are to live our lives aware of the Presence of God. God’s Presence is not something that we have to wait to enjoy in Heaven. Psalms makes it clear that it is for now. It says God will show us the way of life, granting us the joy of His Presence… His Presence is an added benefit to those who believe. 

He is not far away. He is close by and He is just waiting for us to realise that He is with us. And to look back at moments when we thought we were alone and see that He was with us all along. He never leaves us, never, no never! There is no set time or appropriate or inappropriate time or place to get in the Presence of God. We are carriers of God’s Spirit, being in His Presence put simply is being aware of His being around us and with us. We don’t have to strive to get in His Presence, we just need to tap into it. 

So His Presence is something we can tap into by simply being aware that He is here and He is with us. That usually requires turning away from distractions and fixing our eyes on Him. You can do this by praying quietly in your heart and just talking to Jesus. Or if you are at home the easiest way for me to do it is to either watch a sermon with some good teaching or to put on some worship music and not just listen but worship God and be part of the worship and all at once I am more aware of Him and His Presence becomes more of a reality than anything else around me. 

I hope you take some time to sit in His Presence where true joy may be found and make a habit out of it. God’s Presence is my happy place, and it can be yours too.  

Love and blessings, 

Melissa Tsingano