Psalms 16:11 says,
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
in thy presence is fulness of joy;
at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore.”
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
in thy presence is fulness of joy;
at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore.”
Contained within this single verse is a prescription for mental and emotional health that no pharmacy in the world can duplicate. It bears medicine for the mind that is both free and priceless. Unfortunately, it will be overlooked today due to it's simplicity. Because the presence of God doesn't cost anything monetarily, many will dismiss it's value. Read that verse again. The path of life...joy...pleasures for evermore. Is anyone looking for these things? If there was a store having a sale on a case of Joy what would we pay? Is a hundred miles too far to drive to be shown the path of life? Fortunately, we don't have to pay great sums or travel great distances to obtain these things. We can find them in his presence.
This morning I finally stopped everything else and put God first. I paced through our quiet house in prayer, lifting up my hands in praise and gratitude. His sweet presence enveloped me and my eyes ran with tears. I worshiped the Lord, praying in the spirit and with my understanding, and was filled with his peace and renewed in my mind. I don't know what you experience in his presence, but I usually feel like my heart has been reset. I feel free, level, and sane again. A calm clarity washes over me that defies description.
There's nothing like the feel of his presence. Yet ironically, I'll go days without entering in. I get spiritually lazy and give hours away to various earthly distractions while my Heavenly Father only gets the remaining crumbs of a day already spent. That's sad. That's stupid! But it's the truth.
Aren't you glad you don't do this?
I've had the privilege growing up around wonderful elders who knew how to wait on God. They taught me the importance of praise – something the Lord inhabits – and the art of lingering in his presence. They showed me how to push aside the church program, slow down and take the time to entertain the Spirit of God. I know how to wait, though sometimes I don't. But when I do, I'm the better for it.
In Luke 10, Jesus visited the home of Martha and her sister Mary. Mary sat at Jesus' feet listening to his every word, while Martha busied herself doing other things around her house. Finally, a flustered Martha complained to Jesus that she was stuck doing all the work. She wanted Jesus to make Mary leave him and help her. Martha didn't get the response she was looking for.
“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Mary lingered at the feet of Jesus and received from him things she wouldn't have otherwise. The same thing happens when we wait on the Lord as well. He has answers to questions, gives us joy, and realigns our priorities. We are refreshed and renewed by his Spirit and less likely to make important decisions with a carnal mind. He'll show us the path of life and give us peace that goes beyond understanding. He knows what's headed our way tomorrow or next week and what we'll need to get through it.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” There is no better place to be than in the presence of God. And when we get there, let's not rush. The world can wait for a change. Let's linger and find the treasures only reserved for those who wait upon the Lord.
This morning I finally stopped everything else and put God first. I paced through our quiet house in prayer, lifting up my hands in praise and gratitude. His sweet presence enveloped me and my eyes ran with tears. I worshiped the Lord, praying in the spirit and with my understanding, and was filled with his peace and renewed in my mind. I don't know what you experience in his presence, but I usually feel like my heart has been reset. I feel free, level, and sane again. A calm clarity washes over me that defies description.
There's nothing like the feel of his presence. Yet ironically, I'll go days without entering in. I get spiritually lazy and give hours away to various earthly distractions while my Heavenly Father only gets the remaining crumbs of a day already spent. That's sad. That's stupid! But it's the truth.
Aren't you glad you don't do this?
I've had the privilege growing up around wonderful elders who knew how to wait on God. They taught me the importance of praise – something the Lord inhabits – and the art of lingering in his presence. They showed me how to push aside the church program, slow down and take the time to entertain the Spirit of God. I know how to wait, though sometimes I don't. But when I do, I'm the better for it.
In Luke 10, Jesus visited the home of Martha and her sister Mary. Mary sat at Jesus' feet listening to his every word, while Martha busied herself doing other things around her house. Finally, a flustered Martha complained to Jesus that she was stuck doing all the work. She wanted Jesus to make Mary leave him and help her. Martha didn't get the response she was looking for.
“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Mary lingered at the feet of Jesus and received from him things she wouldn't have otherwise. The same thing happens when we wait on the Lord as well. He has answers to questions, gives us joy, and realigns our priorities. We are refreshed and renewed by his Spirit and less likely to make important decisions with a carnal mind. He'll show us the path of life and give us peace that goes beyond understanding. He knows what's headed our way tomorrow or next week and what we'll need to get through it.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” There is no better place to be than in the presence of God. And when we get there, let's not rush. The world can wait for a change. Let's linger and find the treasures only reserved for those who wait upon the Lord.
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