Tag: presence
We come close enough to experience His protection. We are anointed and overflowing when we choose to live in intimate connection with our Shepherd. We insulate our souls from exile when we knit ourselves to Him.
The Good Shepherd goes about His business of caring for people even in the midst of antagonists.
We read of God’s instructions for King Solomon and realize that integrity of heart and faithfulness are impossible apart from the Father. Proximity breeds purity. Distance produces degeneration. We must stay near to God; on the heels of his holiness. We cannot live for Him on our own.
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV) Yesterday I did a lot of housekeeping. I’ve been working on a major writing deadline (stay tuned for an exciting announcement!) and our home was bearing the evidence of it.…
We all battle the temptation to get ahead of God and the complacency to stay behind. Christ-followers must match the Father’s pace. All too often, He’s a three-mile-an-hour God. But once in a while, it feels as though He is in an awful hurry. Sons and daughters appreciate His presence profoundly and stay with Him at every speed.
One of things I admire most about Jesus is the fact that His mindset doesn’t falter in deteriorating circumstances. He maintains His principles even in deep distress. He is able to hold to the values of heaven even amidst the ugliest throes of humanity.
I think again about Eden and how Adam and Eve walked in unbroken fellowship with God. Isn’t that the highest aim of Spirit empowerment? We hope to hear God’s heart and leading and possess the strength to follow Him unflinchingly. As Spirit-filled believers we experience Eden again by some small measure. Additionally, we carry a bit of Eden into every interaction, conversation, meeting and meal.
Jesus knew the limitations of His disciples. He realized they could not alleviate His pain, but He had hoped that they might, at the very least, keep pace with Him that final night. They did not know the future He was facing or the agony He would endure, but they could be present in His affliction. In those moments of anguish, in the time and space where Jesus set His face like flint toward the tasks at hand, He was simply wanting a witness for His pain.
So many of our frustrations with others stem from our inability to sit alone in a room with God. Slowing ourselves to His pace will inevitably sort out the vexations that plague us.