Memorise:
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence
is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm
16:11
Read: Isaiah 40:28-31,
28
Hast thou
not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator
of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching
of his understanding.
29
He giveth
power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30
Even the
youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31
But they
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.
Message
In
Psalm 16:11, the
Psalmist reveals that it’s in the presence of the Lord we can find
fullness of
Joy. It is wise therefore to be in God’s presence. We are guaranteed joy
and
everlasting satisfaction in His presence. Sin drives a man from the
presence of
the Lord. It was after the Fall that Adam and his wife ran from the
presence of
the Lord (Genesis 3:8). Prophets Jonah, in disobedience, also ran from
the
presence of the Lord and ended up in the belly of the fish (Jonah 1:3,
15 &17). When a man runs from God’s presence, he is half-dead. Only the
mercy of
God can make him survive it.
Some of the wonders of
God’s presence are found in our scripture reading today. When you make the
presence of the Lord your place of abode, you will never be tired because His
attributes rub off on you (Isaiah 40:28-29). God is never tired, and He is so
generous that He shares His strength with those who choose to come into his
presence. Prophet Elijah and Elisha after him knew this secret and experienced
the wonders of His presence. While Elijah was in God’s presence, he enjoyed
divinely prepared meals. He became so strong and swift that he did not only
overpower 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he also outran the chariot of
King Ahab (1 King 18). Another wonder of God’s presence is that it gives divine
boldness to those who abide in it. Hear what Elijah said in 1 King 18:15 in
response to concerns raised by Obadiah concerning the fact that Elijah might
get killed if King Ahab saw him:
“…As the LORD of hosts liveth,
before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.”
Another wonder of the
presence of God is that the more you stay in God’s presence, the more you look
and believe like him. The early disciples were with Jesus and within the space
of three and half years, the world knew they had be with Him (Acts 4:13)
Children of God must make
time out of their busy schedules to be in God’s presence. This was the habit of
our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not compromise the presence of His Father for
other activities. The Bible records that He constantly withdrew to the mountain
side to commune with the Father (Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12). Become like Him
today.
Action Point
Draw out an action plan that will enable you to
constantly have effective fellowship with the Holy Trinity.
BIBLE
IN A YEAR: Isaiah 30:1-32:8, Acts
7:3-22
AUTHOR:
Pastor E.A. Adeboye
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