His Presence-Our Greatest Gift
Immanuel means God with Us. This name for Jesus, encompasses God’s will for us from the beginning of time-He wants to be with us. Matthew 1:23 New American Standard Bible says:
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
God set up the garden of Eden like the biblical groom sets up a house for his beloved. Eden was the perfect environment for mankind to grow, trees flourishing, lush fruit for eating, no rain needed because a mist came up from the ground and watered the earth. And after He set up this home for man, he placed man and woman in the garden to meet with them in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), to be with them. It’s so clear that He has always wanted to be with us.
Of course, the perfect garden became imperfect when Adam sinned, but even then, we find that God had a plan in place to rescue us and bring us to Himself through Jesus. Through Jesus the world was reconciled to God and fellowship with our Maker was restored. .If we accept Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we are back where we were meant to be, in communion with God.
Often we seek after the things God can offer, but it is in seeking God Himself, His very presence, that we are most fulfilled. Psalm 16:11 NASB says:
You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Fullness here means “satisfaction, abundance, fill, full, be satisfied.” You know that feeling after you have eaten a good meal, not too much, but just the right amount to have a nice full and satisfied feeling in your stomach? It’s that kind of full, a completely satisfied kind of full, a not needing anything else kind of full. And at His right hand are pleasures forever. God’s right hand is where Jesus sits interceding for us. No wonder there are forever pleasures there!
So how do we get more of His presence in our lives? Getting more of the Word in our lives. My husband likes to listen to the Bible; I like to read the Bible. Singing the Word helps me retain what I hear. I also, ask the Holy Spirit to interrupt my day. I love to go on walks, but half way around the lake path, I often realize I left Him 1/4 mile back. I am a busy person, so I ask Holy Spirit to interrupt my life with His presence. A favorite book of mine The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence * says,
The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great a tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”
Oh to be able to be like Brother Lawrence! It takes practice to remember to acknowledge God in each moment of our day. We invite Him into every area of our lives, not just the “sacred” moments, but the every day moments, the busy clattering moments which are to Him just as precious, because He wants to be with us ALWAYS AND FOREVER.
So this Christmas season, let’s remember to
PRACTICE HIS PRESENCE IN OUR EVERYDAY MOMENTS.
In His love,
Suzanne
*Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, (Old Tappan: 1958), p.8
Mom Morsels 