More presence

This morning my Bible reading took me to another gem.

Psalms 31:20 NASB
20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Did you see that phrase? "...the secret place of Your presence..." What a treasure! No matter what is swirling around us, what others may be saying or plotting, we can look away, breathe His name, and be swept under His wing to the place of secret presence.

Presence. I just can't get enough of it.

Presence

This morning as I studied in 1 Samuel 21:1-9, I came across the account of David eating the Bread of the Presence which was given to him by the priest.

Beth Moore had the following observation, "The everlasting covenant symbolized by the bread of the Presence was a reminder of the pledge of God's presence to His people. As he offered bread to David through Ahimelech the priest, I believe God pledged His presence to David throughout his exile and promised to be his complete sustainer." (p. 110 of David, 90 Days with a Heart Like His)

This resonates with me. Of all God's gifts, one of His greatest is presence. His presence. Here with me.

Emmanuel is one of my favorite words for Christ.

Matthew 1:23, "'...AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, ' which translated means "GOD WITH US."

What a gift. What a sustenance. Christ is the bread of God's presence to and in us.

Recently in church I sang the song, "In the Presence of Jehovah," which has some of the most powerful words I've ever sung. It could be the theme song for any future speaking I might do. The lyrics so aptly describe what I find to be true.

In and out of situations

That tug-a-war in me

All day long I struggle

For answers that I need

Then I come into His presence

All my questions become clear

And for a sacred moment

No doubt can interfere.

In the presence of Jehovah

God Almighty Prince of Peace

Troubles vanish

hearts are mended

in the presence of the King

Through His love the Lord provided

A place for us to rest

A place to find the answers

In hours of distress

So now there’s never any reason

To give up in despair

Just look away and breathe His name

He will come and meet you there.

Presence. Nothing this world offers compares to experiencing the presence of the Almighty from moment to moment. As temptations and trials and worries press from every side, I truly need to "look away and breathe His name," and the situation becomes more bearable.

Presence. Emmanuel. Think upon these things.