Once upon a time, I began my walk back to God. I had walked much too far ahead without Him. At the time, I could not wait to grow up and I had believed the lie that being independent means doing life on my own terms. But…
God taught me that true maturity is complete dependence in Him.
Looking back, I realise that God never left; He followed me – even on my prodigal path. He was there even when I lived without acknowledging His Presence in my life.
He was always next to me even when I thought I walked too far ahead without Him; in fact, there were countless times when He walked ahead to make my path straight and safe for me.
Through it all, God’s presence pursued me.
Years later, when I finally realised that independence was far too overrated, I became aware that I needed God more than the air I breathed. I began walking with God again. The closer I walked to God, the more I hungered for more of His presence.
I soon discovered that’s why God pursued me in the first place! To stir up my affections so we can walk as close companions.
After all those years of my Father’s Presence pursuing me just so He could be closer to watch over me, I now began to pursue God’s Presence more and more. I realised that my desire to seek God’s presence is also a gift from Him (John 6:44).
I’ve learnt that our journey of faith will only be as fulfilling as we allow it to be, which means – the more we devote ourselves to Him, the more God will reveal His heart to us.
God’s Presence is not a mythical mystery. It is a very real place that we can step into through: His Word, our silent communion with Him, our worship to Him and our prayers.
Every moment that we spend in the secret place with our Lord will lead us into closer proximity with Him. Every time, we turn our hearts to God and speak to Him, we enter His presence.
Psalm 27:4 says “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.”
In this psalm, David declares that his ONE DESIRE is that he would SEEK so he could DWELL in God’s presence and BEHOLD Him forever. David’s choice of words in this one verse reveals to us everything we need for a deeper intimacy with God.
We must first desire God and make Him our one top priority, over anything else. We must want to dwell in His presence. We must seek to behold Him and His beauty. We must pour out our love for Him with great affection and adoration.
When we do this and we begin to pursue God’s Presence over anything else, we will begin an intimate journey of faith that will transform us inside out.
God’s presence transforms us because He gives us rest. In a world that screams stress at every turn, God’s way of life is a total contradiction to life in the world. God’s way of life invites us to be nestled deep within His Presence.
In Exodus 20:8-10, God promised, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”
God’s Presence transforms us because it leads to His peace. To pursue God’s peace, we must first be at rest but to achieve rest, we need to be still in God’s Presence.
Living each day abiding in God’s Presence fills us with hope and joy because when we draw near to Him, God draws near to us.
Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
God’s presence transforms us because it increases our faith. The stronghold of God’s presence is the doorway to our breakthroughs.
It is here, in the quiet place of prayer, where we seek God and wait upon Him for direction and clarity to triumph over every trial.
When we remain rooted in the stronghold of God’s presence – the way King David did in 2 Samuel 5:17-25 when the Philistines were searching for him, we too will be able to overcome any attacks of the enemy, as he did.
The truth is that there is a very real enemy who does not want us to achieve our destiny to fulfil the call of God on our lives.
1 Peter 5:8 says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
BUT, as long as we are anchored in God’s presence in all that we do every day, we can stay clear from the clutches of the enemy.
When we FIRST turn to God in all our circumstances, we make room for His voice to direct our steps. As we continue to abide in the secret place of His presence, we will undoubtedly hear God speak…
Point to ponder:
- How will you take a step towards devoting more time with God today?
- What can you do to stir up your hunger for His Presence?
Suzane Avadiar is a writer, blogger and avid traveller. Over the last 17 years, she has written extensively for various publications in the global marketplace. Writing is not only her passion but also her instrument of worship. She has a deep desire to reveal the Father’s heart through her writings, so that every reader steps into their God-given identity. Suzane also writes daily devotions on social media for her church, Destiny C3 Subang. She recently completed her first book, Sent To Journey – Devotions for the Traveller, and is pursuing publishing opportunities. She can be reached through her blog at www.suzaneavadiar.com or on her Facebook page.
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Suzane Avadiar
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