God Is Here
When I saw the title / subject suggestions for blog hop this week I totally gravitated towards this title, "God Is Here" for a variety of reasons. Frankly, just seeing the title makes my heart race a little bit because the last few weeks have been nothing short of a personal revival for me. Something about this Bible study has taken down some sort of barrier that was in my heart inhibiting my faith and my worship. Consequently, I am more aware of the grace, the mercy, the joy and the power and witness of God. It is just sort of boiling over in my life lately. I don't know any other way to explain it except to say that my heart starts to feel like it is overflowing when I spend any amount of time thinking about where God has been taking me spiritually lately. It is the joy of the Lord and the very week the Bible Study started, an older lady in my church listened to me explain all of my stressors and all the reasons why I thought this Bible Study would benefit me. She looked at me with sincere compassion in her eyes but with focus and she said, "You have to remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength!" I knew that, of course.... but not really..... Now I'm getting it!
This title is also the title of a song we sing at church. I love it when it comes to the second part when we start to sing, "Fill this place with the praise of the God of all Grace. Lift him high! Glorify the Ancient of Days. All ye Saints, lift your voice. Lift your heads and rejoice! God is here. Fill this place with praise!" I love it because as we begin to fill the room with praise, the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with His love and assurance.
God inhabits the praise of his people. He moves and breathes and lives in that praise. We experience this in a worship service or in private when our hearts join with the words we are speaking or singing and the tender presence of the Holy Spirit just shows up in the room to bear witness with our spirits and warm our hearts.
Before the Proverbs 31 Bible Study on Stressed Less Living, I do not think I ever really realized that trusting God, leaning on God, crying out to God for help.... essentially being vulnerable before God.... somehow that qualifies as worship too. But it does! I am really seeing it come to life through this study. I think this vulnerable or almost "needy" way of living qualifies as worship because in that moment, we are acknowledging that there is one who is greater that we are. I don't have a Bible handy but I also know that somewhere in there it says, "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you." And isn't that what is happening when we cry out? We are drawing near to Him and he responds in turn.
Here is a "God Is Here" moment (one of many, many) to tell you about since that was the request for this blog assignment.
I think it was a year ago or more that I was going through what Saint John of the Cross termed a "dark night of the soul". I woke up on a Sunday morning feeling just destitute...just empty...just... nothing. I call it a funk. I woke up in a funk. To be honest I was feeling that way for a while but that morning I was just really aware of it and I felt like I had to get away and see if I could "feel" God or sort my head out or something. I know we do not always "feel" God and it is not always about feeling God but sometimes our heart longs to be warmed so that we are reassured of His presence in our lives. It was still pretty early. So, I left Chip with the kids and walked over to the church in my pajamas. I pulled my guitar onto my shoulders and just started strumming something and telling God exactly how I felt in my heart and mind. I stood lookomg at the empty pews, the familiar shape of the building and the colors of the stained glass pieced together in each window. I poured out my heart with those strings and my voice and somewhere along the way my questions, doubts and cries turned into appeals, prayers and then praise and worship. I was not alone and I was sure of it. The presence of God was SO strong and assuring and liberating in that familiar room and I was so grateful for it. I left with an renewed heart, an encouraged spirit and with hands and a voice eager to serve again. Two hours later I stood in the same place but I was in my Sunday clothes, the room was filled and God was there too moving in each of us to draw forth praise and fill us up again.... and I couldn't wait to open my mouth to sing His name.
God is always with us but when we draw near honestly, he draws near to us too and any trouble, any fear or any question shrinks in His presence... or as the old hymn says,"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face - and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."
Skip the ad and worship with me. You won't regret it. I love this song.
