Enjoying The Sweet Presence Of The Lord

I was reminded of something this weekend: the sweet presence of the Lord.  This is when you just sit and bask in God’s love and grace.  There is no agenda, nothing other than being refreshed in His presence.

My church’s morning service was unlike a typical service.  There wasn’t any preaching or teaching.  It was about interloping moments of praise and worship music, Scripture verses and reflecting.  We also enjoyed a time of communion.  It was one of the most peaceful services to experience.

Our pastoral staff planned it that way.  They knew that everyone would be coming down from a busy week of preparing for Christmas.  After all the bustling, cooking, shopping and entertaining they wanted us to sit back and relax in His presence.

This was a good reminder that we need to enjoy more moments like that and it doesn’t have to happen just at church.  Life keeps us busy and if we don’t stop to slow down and enjoy the Lord’s presence we are missing out on some crucial times of being refreshed.

Most of us think of relaxing as vegging in front of the television, sleeping in or kicking our feet up.  But that is physical relaxation.  What about spiritual relaxation?  What about taking moments to have nothing else on our minds but basking in the Lord’s presence? 

I was reminded of many, many things as I sat through that service.  That’s because I was given an opportunity to really hear from God.  We need more of that.  One of my goals for 2011 will be spending more time in His presence.  I want that refreshing to happen in my home.

If you are tired of the hustle bustle of life and feeling like your life’s schedule dictates everything you do, make it a goal this upcoming year to set aside quiet time with the Lord.