Psalms 42:5, "Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him For the help of His presence, my God."
After reading Psalms 42:5, God inspired me with a poem emphasizing waiting in silence for His help. It seemed to me that His invitation to silence meant eliminating petitions as a personal offering or sacrifice. This day He only wanted me to praise Him. So, when I started praying, if my mind tried to release petitions, I cast them aside immediately. My motormouth brain didn't have an off switch, so you can imagine how challenging this was.
In the end, silencing my petitions was perhaps one of the most challenging things I have ever done. The panicky thoughts lurking in the background didn't like sitting quietly. It felt equivalent to doing nothing. But this wasn't true. I was doing something. I was listening to God by reading the Bible. I was praising Him in prayer. And by reading the Bible and praying praises, I had uniquely positioned myself directly in His face.
Do you remember how God used a tongue-tied man named Moses to deliver the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt? God appeared to Moses by manifesting Himself as a burning bush on Mount Horeb (Exodus 3.) But before Moses could draw nearer to God, he was required to remove his sandals out of respect and submission.
"Then God said, 'Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet [out of respect], because the place on which you are standing is holy ground'" (Exodus 3:5 AMP).
It's important to remember that intimate proximity to God may require you to take off a few things. Moses had to take off his sandals. I had to stop asking God for things and just praise in faithful silence.
Based on the conversation recorded in Exodus 3, God knew the extent of the Israelites' sorrows. And now He wanted to use Moses to deliver them from hardship to freedom.
This was such a wonderful reminder that during my offering of silence God already knew the beginning and the end of my situation.
So, what does this mean for you today? God's presence is still accessible. It may not look like a burning bush, but God is beckoning the believer into His presence through His Spirit that dwells within you. By faith, you simply need to surrender every area of your life to the Spirit.
For some reason we limit the Spirit's power to the closet area in His own temple. But to achieve a close relationship we must give Him full possession of the entire house. It starts with faith that God the Father has the most amazing person, God the Spirit, advocating for us in all things. According to John 16:7, God the Son, Jesus, died for this very benefit. He never wanted to leave us struggling alone without Him. So, He sent God the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to take His place within our hearts.
When you are in God's presence remember these things:
Faith illuminates God's presence [to reveal, give light to, make known.]
He alone is enough [enough, sufficient, plenty.]
He brings clarity into your situation [brightness, clarity, bright, clearly, legibility, magnitude.]
You will have peace of mind [completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.]
God will intervene during your most vulnerable state [to come in or between by way of hindrance or modification.]
You are God-focused instead of self-focused [a state or condition permitting clear perception or understanding, targeted, centric.]
You are overshadowed by His loving arms of protection [protection, means of safety.]
Your praise will glorify God [praise, worship, boast.]
Ask the Holy Spirit to make you conscience of His Presence [before the face of, making known, face to face.]
You will learn, "it's not about you" -- quote from Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren.
To those struggling emotionally or physically, I want to say: Don't lose faith! Bring your cares to God. Draw near to Him in prayer. Come boldly. Come fearlessly right into His presence. God welcomes you with open arms. The Holy Spirit will help you in your daily problems. (Romans 8:26.) Put aside your worry. Indulge and dwell in His presence.
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Brenette Wilder of Lee's Summit, Mo., (formerly of Altheimer, Ark.), is founder of Kansas City Teen Summit, blogger at (wordstoinspire105953116.wordpress.com), and author of Netted Together (https://nettedtogether.org.)
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