Livng in the Lord's Presence

Recently, I’ve been thinking about what it means to live all of the time in God’s presence. I’m not talking about the fact that God is omnipresent. We know that God is everywhere, always present in our lives and world. Rather, I’m talking about our awareness of our life being lived in God’s presence. Am I living each moment with a true and unmistakable sense of God’s presence in my life?

I love what the psalmist says:

He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.And so I walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on earth!  - Psalm 116:8-9 NLT

While the author of Psalm 116 says in verse 9: “I walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on earth!”, the Hebrew is literally translated “before God’s face.” I get the idea from the psalm that he is not just living in God’s presence when he is doing “religious stuff” like praying, reading scripture and attending a “worship service”. I think that the message of the psalm is that he is living with a keen awareness and deep sense of God’s presence throughout his everyday life on earth.

I’m reminded of one of my favorites New Testament scriptures.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to (daily) give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy (daily) sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him (live in his presence).   – Romans 12:1. (paren-thetical words and phrase added by me)

Paul tells us that everything we think, hear, say and do…our every day lives... are worship to God. Our daily lives are lived in his presence. We don’t do this in order to earn God’s favor. The psalmist and Paul both remind us that we live this way in response to what God has done for us already: “He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. And so I walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on earth!” (116:8-9).

Living in God’s presence as an act of daily sacrificial worship is our response to his magnificent and gracious salvation. Ask God this week to remind you that you are living with him “face-to-face”.  Ask God to remind you that everything that you do this week is done as though God was present with you.  Ask God to remind you this week that your life is lived daily as selfless worship to Him. Truly living in the presence of God will advance our personal and communal journey of being transformed into the image of our creator.

Tim Oliver

Lubbock, Texas

Waiting

Joseph, waited on the LORD;

sold into slavery, separated from family,

lived among strangers in a foreign land,

falsely accused and placed in prison.

Yet, he continued to trust God; while he waited, he served.

The story of Joseph inspires us as we face “times of waiting.”

Who comes to mind when you think of those who worship, trust and obey as they wait?

Are you waiting for something or someone?

Test results…?

A phone call…?

A prisoner to be set free…?

Prodigal to return home…?

A baby to be born…?

One lost to be found…?

Ultimately, we wait for our LORD Jesus to return.  May we be found serving and worshiping, living in obedience and hoping in the LORD God; being mindful to point others to Him and His saving grace.

Just three of many verses that impart strength in times of waiting…

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.

Isaiah 40:31
Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

From the soundtrack of “Fireproof”

John Waller:  While I'm Waiting Lyrics

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it is painful, but patiently I will wait

And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait
Yes, I will wait

Loving Father God,

We praise You for Your wisdom and goodness.  Thank You for presenting times of waiting.

Times we learn to trust You, Your Word and Your eternal plan.  

Help us grow in faith, hope and obedience while we wait.

In Your Son’s holy name.

Mischelle Oliver

Stephenville, Texas

OBEY

When Paul writes his love letter to Philippi, he shows us in chapter two, the mind of Christ in us. How he humbled himself and was obedient even unto death. We remember Christ’s prayer in the garden. “Nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt.” In verse 12, he says, “…as you have always obeyed...” Obey like Paul was standing right beside us. Obey!  He said those strange words that can so easily be misunderstood. “Work out your own salvation.”  He is not saying ‘do whatever you want’, he is saying OBEY!.

I get to play a part in my salvation. Of course, God does all the heavy lifting…the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, the Ascension, the Bible. Without God and His grace, there is no salvation.

So, what is my part? Am I a random recipient of salvation?  No, I am involved. “I work out my own salvation.”  How?  I OBEY!   I obey when it’s easy and when it’s hard.  I obey when I’m with others and when I’m alone.  I obey with fear and trembling. This is a life and death matter. Serious business!

God is at work in me. Amazing!  God is at work in me to will and to work for His good pleasure.  I am the canvas where He is painting His masterpiece.  So I must stop arguing and OBEY.

Holy Father, I come praising Your name for Your great might.  I come praising You for Your great grace.  I pray Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I pray that Your will be done but often I live as though I want my will to be done.  For this, I am sorry. Please forgive me of my sin. Help me Father.  Do what you will to help me obey.  You are right and good. I am lost without You.  So I pray not my will but Yours be done. In the name of Your Son, who always obeyed, I pray. Amen.

Paul Shero

San Angelo, Texas

BE A WINNER – A Story for Children of All Ages

1 Corinthians 15:57 says God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matt’s Little League team lost an important game today and he was angry and disappointed.  His mother, always the encourager, said, “I know you’re upset, sweetheart, but you played like a winner today.”  Mat shrugged his shoulders and tried not to cry.  “But we didn’t win,” he scowled, “we lost.”

Dad stood in the doorway watching his son with tender eyes.  He remembered how hard it was to be a child. He remembered how easily everything in life could become a win or lose proposition.  He knew it never felt good to lose, but he also knew that winning brought its own unique set of responsibilities and challenges.

“Son, are you and your teammates losers just because the other team scored more points?”  Matt frowned.  He didn’t like the word loser.   

“I can tell you how you can keep from losing ever again.”  Matt brightened.   

“Don’t play.  In competitive games, someone has to win and someone has to lose.  Those are the rules.”  Matt hadn’t thought of it that way.  “Winning is nice and you’ll win many times as long as you play the game.  You’ll also have to lose occasionally.  It may not seem like it now, but being a winner is much more important.”

Matt didn’t know there was a difference between winning and being a winner so Dad explained.  “Winning simply means getting the best score this time.  Winners on the other hand enjoy playing, are team players, encourage each other, and always play fair.  They control their language and their temper and also take care of their bodies.  Winners know how to lose without being losers.  I watched you play today, son.  You are a winner no matter what the scoreboard said and I’m very proud of you.”

Father in heaven, we want to make you proud of us by the way we handle our wins and losses in life.  Thank you for making us Winners through Christ, Amen.

Sandra Milholland

Abilene, Texas

When you Drop the "Dis"

I’m a word nerd. Claimin’ it.

I love new words, old words, fun words, big words. I love to make up words, too.

At my house, it seems that if you add the -age ending to a word, it makes it a little more genteel in nature, perhaps more polite in conversation.  “My chestage is so sore from that workout yesterday!” See? You can totally bring that up at your husband’s fancy office dinner. Or not.

The point remains: I love words.

So it was that my thoughts drifted while taking notes in Bible study. I was initially trying to decipher how to spell the word “disappointment” while the instructor was illustrating that disappointment may lead us to God’s biggest work in our lives yet.

Dis – of course that prefix means not, opposite of, away from.  Appointment — hmmm.. a role, task, assignment.  Whether or not we can spell it, the weight of the word itself brings about heaviness of heart and soul, filling the eyes with tears. We all know that disappointment feels far more heavy than a clinical discussion of the word.

You know disappointment first-hand, no doubt. The job, the child, the home, the spouse, the life you were counting on in some regard didn’t happen. And your heart was broken.

The last year has been a series of disappointments for our family. A job loss for my husband was unexpected. A new job then required a move for our family, which our teens let us know wasn’t in their life plan. Now the new location and cost of living has me sending out resume’s and applying for jobs only to hear again and again, “No thank you, you aren’t quite right..” or to be told nothing at all.

Faith is leaning into the word itself and hearing Him whisper: “See? Child, I’m telling you. This isn’t your appointment. This isn’t what I have for you. I have so much more for you. Dry your eyes. Dust yourself off. Move on.”

Is it possible that God can use my disappointment to move me to a Divine Appointment in my life?

Consider some heroes in the faith from scripture:
– Hannah, disappointed every month when she still was unable to have a child. Finally, finally… God blessed her with Samuel. Samuel that she gave back to God and who spoke for him.

– Ruth, widowed and alone, found her kinsmen-redeemer, and ended up giving birth to Obed. She has a spot in the lineage of Christ now.

– Sarah, my own namesake. Her disappointment at watching the calendar flip year after year with no children led her to desperation. She eventually would be redeemed, known as “Mother of many.”

The sting of my job rejection disappointments may subside as I journey deeper in with the Lord seeking my divine appointment. I’m trusting I’ll know it when I see it.

The boxes are mostly unpacked in our new home as the kids are making friends at school, and we are blessed to be employed again. (What is the grace period for living with boxes in your house after you’ve moved? I’m pretty sure I’m pushing it…)

The hurt of the disappointments is healing while I seek time with the Lord. My faith can be a shaky seedling some days, but I am hopeful that I will grow into His divine appointment for me.

Sarah Stirman