The Gift of His Presence.  By Sara Cain.

I just spent a week at the coast, my happy place.  Nowhere on this earth can refresh my spirit, wash away my desperation or despair, and heal me like spending time at the seashore.  Many years ago, I bought a little note card in Charleston, Oregon with a picture of the shoreline there and an awesome statement. I kept it for myself because it expresses my feelings so perfectly. It says:

“If I could hear the sound of God’s voice, I think it would sound like the sea.”

That’s exactly what I feel and sense when I am at the seashore. It’s not the sea that heals me, but God’s presence I feel so acutely when I am there.

Of all the things I give thanks for, this is the most important reason I am grateful: to live in the presence of God.

Peace is found in His presence.  Hope is found there.  Joy comes from His presence.

Healing- physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, whatever healing you need- comes by being in the presence of God.

I love these words from a Natalie Grant song:

“I want the Savior more than the saving. I want the Healer more than the healing. I want the Giver more than the giving.  Help me want you, Jesus, more than anything.”

Corrie Ten Boom who endured more in a Nazi concentration camp than a human should ever be able to survive, and Richard Wurmbrand who survived years of torture and left for dead many times over in a Russian prison because of his Christian faith, can attest to the fact that having the presence of God with you is enough to sustain you even when all else is taken from you, even in the midst of great suffering. After his release, Richard emigrated to America and founded The Voice of the Martyrs, a global ministry that supports Christians facing religious persecution around the world

I have learned so much from these two heroes of faith and the wisdom they learned through great suffering.  Many of Corrie’s wisdom nuggets come to mind when I’m basking in the presence of God during troubling and challenging times. Here are three Corrie Ten Boom gems:

“Let God’s promises shine on your problems.”  This reminds me that spending time in His presence makes His promises about His love and always working things for my good outshine whatever it is that is trying to make me fear or grieve or want to give up.

“Joy runs deeper than despair.”  Absolute truth. If we allow it, despair will take us down, but if we seek the presence of God, we enter the realm of joy which far exceeds the power and influence of despair.

“Our outlook goes beyond this world, and we are in training for eternity.” When we get to Heaven, we will live constantly in and surrounded by God’s presence. But the good news is that we don’t have to wait until we get there to live in His presence. Through Holy Spirit, we can surrender to Him and be absorbed by His very presence where we are one with Him, and then the unbearable weight of our problems and challenges cease to exist.

I’m not saying “run from your problem,” but rather, to let go of them and hand them over to Jesus, and His presence full of wisdom and discernment will guide you through them, and the glory of His presence will outshine every negative and hard thing in your life to where you are able to do what you must do and endure what you must endure. His presence is so much greater than any dark thing of earth that it becomes insignificant and powerless to break you; it loses its power and stranglehold on you because of His greatness and glory. Instead, you receive peace over challenges, calm over chaos, and joy over despair.

God always uses our suffering for His purpose to bring us or those who we have influence over who might be watching us, to see the power and glory of God.

We cannot endure these harsh sufferings and heavy spiritual burdens in our own strength; we must be sustained by the presence of God- to hunger for and seek His presence- to abandon all else that we may live in His presence.

In 2019, my word for the year was “thankful.” I questioned that at first because I’ve always felt like a thankful person. But when Holy Spirit answered me, what He said made me so excited that I began posting thank you messages every single day on Facebook in early December, too excited to wait for the new year, and I continued to post them well past the next new year. During that time, I was overwhelmed with the blessing of feeling God’s presence in my life much deeper and constant than ever before.

As my grateful eyes and heart grew, the more the presence of God surrounded me and filled me.

In light of great saints like Corrie Ten Boom and Richard Wurmbrand, my life has been much less dramatic, although still overwhelming at times with hardships and grief. During that “thankful year”, some of my thankful posts might have sounded silly and childish to some. But I am sincerely grateful for even the smallest things because it is only by God’s grace that I have this life that I consider wonderful because even in the scary, dark, painful, grievous times, I am in the presence of the One who saves me and sustains me.

If you are struggling to feel God’s presence, we’ll have a follow-up blog next week with scriptures to help you seek His presence. For now, meditate on this, King David’s song that he wrote while in exile in the Judean desert. 

“Thirsting for God”  – Psalm 63:1-8 (The Passion Translation)

O God of my life, I’m lovesick for you in this weary wilderness.

I thirst with the deepest longings to love you more, with cravings in my heart that can’t be described.

Such yearning grips my soul for you, my God!

I’m energized every time I enter your heavenly sanctuary to seek more of your power and drink more of your glory.

For your tender mercies mean more to me than life itself.

How I love and praise you, God!

Daily I worship you passionately and with all my heart. My arms will wave to you like banners of praise. I overflow with praise when I come before you, for the anointing of your presence satisfies me like nothing else.

You are such a rich banquet of pleasure to my soul. I lie awake each night thinking of you and reflecting on how you help me like a father. I sing through the night under your splendor-shadow, offering up to you my songs of delight and joy! With passion I pursue and cling to you because I feel your grip on my life.

I keep my soul close to your heart.