"You will fill me with joy in your presence." Psalm 16:11
Have you ever had the type of friend who just has a certain kind of presence when they enter the room? There's a few people who I immediately think of when I think of people with a specific "presence."
One is a friend who is always laughing and brings joy and a ridiculous, funny, and dynamic story with her every time you see her. Another is a friend who is always a calming presence. Even the way she talks makes you feel rested and at peace on the most chaotic days. I love how these people always carry a certain presence with them.
Now, what do you think of when you think of the presence of God?
Maybe you think of someone who carries that laughter and joy like the friend I mentioned, or maybe you think of someone who carries the peace and calm of the second. Maybe it's both–or maybe it's something that feels more like reverence and honor, the way you might feel if you sensed a very notable person enter the room.
Experiencing the presence of God is essential to our lives as believers.
Have you ever experienced a shift in your spirit when you have come into the presence of God? Maybe it was when you entered into a place of worship even though you weren't "in the mood." Or maybe, it was after reading the Bible and realizing God wasn't as far away as you thought He was before you began reading. Maybe you felt God's presence in a conversation with a friend, or you saw a glimpse of it in nature.
In His presence, we often experience an internal shift.
It's a shift that takes our gaze from the world and gives us a heavenly perspective. We can see God's hand on our lives and in our communities in a new way and we are able to carry His presence into our daily lives.
This word is for you if you long to see more of God's presence in your life and in your community.
This word is for you if you feel like you go days without seeing God's hand on your life, but you want this year to be different.
This word is for you if you hope to find little pockets of hope and moments of transformation throughout your day and in your relationships this year.
This word is for you if you long to be the kind of person who carries a presence with them, something even more powerful than a funny story or a calming way of communicating.
This word is for you if you want the focus of your year to be experiencing the presence of God so that it changes you, and so that you can carry His Spirit's presence into every circumstance and situation you might face in the coming year leaving people wondering what it was that they were sensing, because it left them with a sense of awe and wonder.