this place in time
- Bailey
- Jan 20, 2018
- 3 min read
God does not hide Himself from us. He is everywhere and in everything–even in all the mess of this life, every morning with mercies waiting anew. Seeking Him in the circumstances of this world becomes simple because He already promises us His Presence.
His sovereignty establishes His Presence and all of creation proclaims it.
Yet how do I miss it even one hour of the day let alone seasons at a time? Where do I go to hide from His Presence? When I hit the “escape” button, where do I go, but not to the One Who calms every fear and offers Peace that transcends understanding? No, more often than not I go to the things of this world that offer only more anxiety, fear, or fake comfort.
Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, I run and hide, trying to cover up what I’ve done when I realize my way really isn’t better. God’s sovereign plan always, always is. And every time He seeks me out, calls me from my hiding place, holds my face in His hands:
I’ve found you, you’re Mine, and I love you. Please don’t hide from Me, child, I want You with Me. Come, let’s try this together.
May His Presence ever be my heart’s truest desire–to dwell in His Light, linger in His Love. I don’t have to go somewhere distant or hard to reach in order to find it, I just have be still and wait. He is there, in the waiting. “Holy design, this place in time” has been circling my mind recently because God has been showing me over and over how His design is everywhere. What a journey just these recent weeks have been seeing all this with a new perspective!
I raced today for the first time in a very long time. It was Avodah, worship, and I know it because joy was there, peace was there and I had no room in my heart for fear or doubt. It doesn’t make sense, but it was God’s design and He was elevated. Isn’t that the point of all this little life anyway? Why would I ever want otherwise, but to posture my heart in a most glorifying way? It may seem a small thing at first, but darkness fled today in the Presence of Almighty God. Heaven rejoices at that. I rejoice at that, nine years coming to a faithful end.
I come into His Presence joyfully, for my life is a testament to His goodness, faithfulness, and new mercies each day. I come into His Presence expectant, for I have seen Him act and respond to me. I have seen His finger prints all over the sequence of my life and I know He is there. I know that I can come into His Presence weary, anxious, and doubting because He is bigger than those feelings, more sovereign than ways of this world. He silences those emotions when my heart is entrusted to Him.
I go to the One who gave me faith to receive more. I am still in the Presence of the I AM to remember whose I am. I find Peace in the shelter of the house of the Lord, where all the days of my life I get to gaze upon His beauty and inquire in His temple (Psalm 27:4).
The challenge is this: to continue seeking His Presence when it gets really hard. When holding on to my way is easy and surrendering near impossible. When talking is necessary and silence is soothing. When joy is lasting and this world is convenient. When discomfort is the answer and comfort is my desire.
Embrace discomfort.
For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent; He will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Psalm 27:5-6
