Have you ever been alone and experienced the overwhelming all-consuming presence of God? It is a feeling that is so all-consuming that is cannot be easily described. Joy. Hope. Freedom. Life. Power. Strength. Truth. Victory. All of these very powerful feelings at once. It feels like watching an inspirational movie or event but not actually seeing it with your eyes. Perhaps, running a great race and winning but never running. It gives you chills. Goosebumps even. All the feels. All of that positive, powerful energy released inside you makes you want to spread your arms wide and just receive it. It is so life giving. You want to share it with everyone but at the same time you want to freeze time to make sure that you don’t miss even a single drop of this anointed moment.
The times that I have felt this, I have always been ALONE, still, and quiet. Undistracted by the world. I want to run and twirl in a field lifting my hands to Heaven but at the same time, I want to just fall to my knees and kneel. I call these my sponge moments. I allow myself to just be and soak in the very presence of God. I also realize that His presence in these moments is just a taste of what being in His full presence would be like. Insert my favorite Mercy Me song here – “I can only imagine.”
During my last “visit” I thought about all of my worst experiences. Things that we think will break us. Things we “SAY” we won’t recover from. All the time that I gave voice to my fears, my failures, my hurts. Yet here I am still standing with greater hope and vision than ever before. The things, situations, and people that have hurt or disappointed me did not win. Let me say that again. THEY. DID. NOT. WIN.
Why?
I am reminded that God is still in control and that He still has purpose for me. It makes me want to pursue Him with the same intensity that my Maisey is pursuing whatever resides under my porch. She is obsessed. She sits at the front door and waits for me to take her outside with little doggie hopes that she will have time to catch a glimpse of whatever it is before I drag her away to take care of her business.
Most of you know that I am just a child at heart. I still like play-doh and pinwheels. Hula hoops. Sidewalk chalk. Walking through the kids’ section of a bookstore makes me absolutely giddy. I experience total wonder and amazement. The same type of feeling that I FEEL when I experience GOD.
What if we made God our first order of business? What if? What if we pursued the things of God first? What would that look like? Seeking, pursuing GOD vehemently.
No, it wouldn’t be like a trip through the vintage toy section. Nor would it be like a game of hide and seek because God is not hiding from us. I think it would be more like a scavenger hunt. Enthusiasm!
Making note of all the times that God reveals himself to us that we would have missed otherwise would give us just a little bit more of that wonder in our daily lives. God shows up every day. Always. He is consistent. He is faithful. We are the ones that show up SOMETIMES.
What if we made it a point not to rest until we found God each day? We would be less afraid. We would be less intimidated. We would smile so much more. Cry. Laugh. Hug. Celebrate.
Tensions would fade even in the height of adversity.
Why would we not choose that? Why?
I want to experience God every day! I want to make space for Him in my life not crowd Him out. I want to make a place at my table for Him – expecting HIM to show up. Name card prepared.
We make space for the people and things in our lives that matter.
If someone came to your home, would they see evidence that you were expecting them? The guest room made up? Fresh towels? The Wi-Fi password on the nightstand?
What evidence is there that you are expecting God to visit you TODAY?
More Musings…of my soul,
Cynthia
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