God’s presence truly is my happy place. And the good news is, God is omnipresent, so God’s presence is all around me. However, experiencing His presence in all its fullness takes practice. Years ago I read a book written by a 17th century monk called “Practicing the presence of God.” It’s a book that has been passed down from one generation to another about pursuing God and living our life aware of His presence. Again it takes practice — it is intentional until it becomes second nature.
We practice the presence of God every time we pray, every time we read our bibles, every time we praise and worship Him, every time we are led by the Spirit, every time we speak to God for direction and seek His help to go about our daily lives.
God’s presence is a place I feel safe. It’s a place I feel loved, it’s a place I’m filled with love for my God and my Savior, it’s a place I’m empowered.
Psalm 91: 1-2 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ”He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust”
God’s presence is my happy place!!
It’s a place I can experience His presence all day as I as I remind myself that the Lord God Almighty is near me. I can find shelter in Him, I can find rest in Him. He is my covering and His love surrounds me.
Jesus’s words to us: John 15:9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love.
My happy place is to remain in God’s love — to be aware of His love, to experience His love where it fills my soul. It fills my mind where God speaks words of love to me, words like “You are my child and I am well pleased with you.” His love touches me deep from within where waves of emotions of love and joy and tenderness and wholeness saturates my soul and is a springboard to loving Him with all the love I have in my heart to give.
It is my Happy Place!!!
Psalm 91:14-16 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue Him; I will protect Him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call on me and I will answer Him. I will be with Him in times of trouble, I will deliver Him and honor Him. With long life I will satisfy Him and show Him My salvation.”
God empowers me!!! God is not only omnipresent, He is also in me. At the moment of salvation the presence of God filled me. The only way I can describe it is it was an all-consuming passion that soared through me — a passion to know God more, a passion to read God’s word, a passion to live my life according to God’s ways, a passion to praise and worship Him, a passion to share my faith.
It was all-consuming, however that passion unless stoked can dwindle. Our relationship with God, like every relationship in our life, needs to be nourished. That is why I say we must practice the presence of God — it needs to be intentional.
It’s intentional when you set aside quality time with the Lord each day to read the word and to pray. We always start our prayer time with words of praise and thanksgiving for all God has done in our lives. It’s spending time listening to praise and worship music whether while in the car or in your home. It’s talking to Him throughout the day, asking for His guidance and wisdom and strength. It’s intentionally filling your soul with an awareness of God’s presence that is all around us and in us.
One of my favorite places to be is at Jesus’s feet! God brought me there may years ago during my time of reading His word. I read in the book of Luke about a woman who was referred to as a sinful woman. But when she heard Jesus would be at a Pharisee’s home she brought an alabaster jar of perfume and she came to Jesus and wept and washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair and kissed them and poured the perfumed oil on His feet.
It painted for me such a beautiful picture which brought me to my knees.
As the story goes when the Pharisee saw her he thought to himself, if Jesus were truly a prophet He would know the kind of woman that is touching Him, that she is a sinner.
Jesus used this as a teaching moment and this is what he said to Simon: “Do you see this woman? When I came into your house you gave me no water for my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss of greeting yet she has been kissing my feet since I came in. You did not put oil on my head, but she poured perfume on my feet. I tell you, her many sins are forgiven — so she showed great love. But the person who is forgiven little will love only a little.”
Being at Jesus’s feet is my happy place — it’s a place of intimacy. I’m overwhelmed with love and gratitude that are beyond what words can express and tears flood my soul and with each tear I feel my heart open more and more to receive God’s love for me.
And from that place of faith and love and gratitude I am strengthened; I am empowered.
I remember Jesus’s words and His promise to me: ”Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
My happy place is when God empowers me to pray for people, to share my faith, to preach and teach, to pastor people, to share God’s love to others — that love that he so abundantly lavishes on me.
God’s Presence truly is my Happy Place.