The presence of God is oft-talked-about, especially since many people are turning focus back to God.
Thank God for the regeneration of hearts.
But we are presented with the struggle our fathers faced.
E.M Bounds said:
“We are in danger of substituting churchly work and a ceaseless round of showy activities for prayer and holy living.”
That was the twentieth century (hint—we are in the 21st century).
Yet they faced a semblance of replacing the internal with the external.
While the idea here is not about churchly work or activities, the points made are similar:
The tendency to speak more than act.
It is super easy to talk about your next big idea.
But to sit, plan, and push through resistance?
Not as smooth.
Speaking helps. I believe God calls us to share His mercies through whatever medium He permits.
But more than that, God desires we abide in Him.
Abiding does not end with a 30-minute devotional.
In fact, a daily devo is part of abiding, and a fruit of your sitting before the Lord. When your heart is tuned to God, you will want to spend time with Him.
Why? A branch remains fully attached to the vine.
No breakage.
If a branch is even partially snapped, the attachment is broken.
If the branch still hangs on by a thread, the pipes are still severed, the sap stops flowing, and the fruit-bearing process ends immediately.
The busyness of life, the ease with which talking comes more than doing, coupled with the opposition from our flesh to seek God deeper than a few minutes of prayer or passive bible reading, prevents us from experiencing what abiding truly means.
Abiding means depth.
There is so much of God to discover.
The Bible is full of truths and revelations we can’t unlock in quick, cursory routines.
It takes great stillness, unhurriedness, and the constant saying no to the flesh.
When you lay aside haste, go from partial to intentional seeking, and spend time in His presence, you’ll realize, oh, you’ll realize how glorious God’s presence is.
It will be a reality.
It will become more than a popular phrase.
As the Bible promises, once you taste, your body, soul, and spirit will crave more of the depth of God’s beauty.
You will see the real, unfiltered goodness of God.
You will develop a thirst for God that only God’s presence can satisfy.
And you’d inevitably want more, unless you kill the thirst that sprouts like a seedling.
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Cover image by Art Institute of Chicago on Unsplash
