I have had an ahha moment......you know the kind that makes you say "Of course, why did it take me so long to get it!!"
I have been reading through Brother Lawrence's book The Practice of the Presence of God. It is an amazing little book packed with the humble writings of a brother who had an intimate relationship with God. It is about finding God everywhere.....even when washing dishes or sweeping the floors. I read it the first time last year and enjoyed it alot but was somewhat mystified as to if I could really get there.
Fast forward to this year. It is so true that sufferings and troubles bring us closer to our Lord. If I had not been close and in constant communication with God through my fathers illness I don't know how I would have survived. God is my lifeline. He is my strength, my ever present help. Oh I know he has always been there before, but there is something about suffering that just brings my need of Him so much closer, stronger........not sure of the right word for it.......all I know is that without Him I would not have made it.
This year our Pastor has also been preaching on the Holy Spirit and how we as Christians don't even realize the power we have within us......that God has given us......to do his will..... We have had so many amazing sermons these past few months! The Holy Spirit is flowing and moving in our church and people are being transformed. Isn't this how church is supposed to be!!
Because of all of this I have felt closer to God then ever. I am striving to live my life in His presence and let me tell you it is the most amazing place to be. And the really neat thing is my striving is not a hard thing anymore....it is a peaceful thing......not sure that makes sense. But when I use to try to stay in His presence....I had to think about it and work at it. Now for some reason it is easier...oh sure I wander sometimes but now I feel Him calling me back and my soul longs for His presence and the peace I have only in Him. It's just such a gift.....a gift I never thought to have.....a gift God wants us all to have!
So here is my ahha moment......before when I would worship or pray I was always thinking God was above me or next to me even......I worshiped the God above.....I prayed to my Father who was holding my hand sitting next to me. But God is not away.....above.....or next to me......He is in me.
I have been reading through Brother Lawrence's book The Practice of the Presence of God. It is an amazing little book packed with the humble writings of a brother who had an intimate relationship with God. It is about finding God everywhere.....even when washing dishes or sweeping the floors. I read it the first time last year and enjoyed it alot but was somewhat mystified as to if I could really get there.
Fast forward to this year. It is so true that sufferings and troubles bring us closer to our Lord. If I had not been close and in constant communication with God through my fathers illness I don't know how I would have survived. God is my lifeline. He is my strength, my ever present help. Oh I know he has always been there before, but there is something about suffering that just brings my need of Him so much closer, stronger........not sure of the right word for it.......all I know is that without Him I would not have made it.
This year our Pastor has also been preaching on the Holy Spirit and how we as Christians don't even realize the power we have within us......that God has given us......to do his will..... We have had so many amazing sermons these past few months! The Holy Spirit is flowing and moving in our church and people are being transformed. Isn't this how church is supposed to be!!
Because of all of this I have felt closer to God then ever. I am striving to live my life in His presence and let me tell you it is the most amazing place to be. And the really neat thing is my striving is not a hard thing anymore....it is a peaceful thing......not sure that makes sense. But when I use to try to stay in His presence....I had to think about it and work at it. Now for some reason it is easier...oh sure I wander sometimes but now I feel Him calling me back and my soul longs for His presence and the peace I have only in Him. It's just such a gift.....a gift I never thought to have.....a gift God wants us all to have!
So here is my ahha moment......before when I would worship or pray I was always thinking God was above me or next to me even......I worshiped the God above.....I prayed to my Father who was holding my hand sitting next to me. But God is not away.....above.....or next to me......He is in me.
But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
God has given us Himself and that part of Himself lives in us as Christians. It gives us power that we can't even imagine! So my worship and my prayers are now in and from my heart. I turn inward and the depth of tapping into the Holy Spirit for worship and prayer is beyond anything I have experienced before. Instead of having this outward thrust to my worship and hoping to reach God and find Him, I now focus on the part He has given me....inside of me. And it is His Holy Spirit that takes my worship and prayers and lifts them higher than I ever could.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for,
but the Spirit himself intercedes for us
with groans that words cannot express.
Romans 8:26
My ahha moment is a little hard to explain in words but I hope you get the idea. The Holy Spirit is such an important part of our life as Christians and yet most of us have not even touched the power we have and is right within us.
