“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalms 16:11
I was seeking God. As I so often do. I was taking one of my walks with Him. I had prayed. Praised Him. Had studied His Word earlier that morning. Now I wanted to hear from Him. By His Holy Spirit. Who always and only speaks in line with His Word. I wanted to hear Him speak to my heart. But there was only this. Silence. Why? I felt a little discouraged. Would He stay silent? But this.
“Why do you want to hear from me?” His quiet voice. A question. Then He waited. For me to respond. I did.
“Because I want to know what to do. I want direction. I want to please you,” I essentially replied.
Quickly His Spirit reminded me of a devotional I had written some time before. Trust doesn’t need to know, I had written. But they hadn’t been my words. They were the words He had placed in my heart. They were His. Now His Spirit was reminding me. Trust doesn’t need to know.
“You don’t need to know. You only need to follow. When it is time for me to tell you want to do next, I will tell you…,” His Spirit spoke gently, tenderly to my heart. Like a loving, doting, good Father to His child. He is my Father. I am His. Entirely. Through Christ Jesus my Lord.
Just minutes before, I had heard two words. Then forgotten them. Now He reminded me. “Trust me.” Clearly they had been from Him.
“You please me with faith,” He said. He brought to mind the verse, “But without faith it is impossible to please him…(Hebrews 11:6).”
Now what? “Rejoice.” He had spoken again. “Instead of worrying about where you are going, enjoy where you are. By steadfastly focusing on me and enjoying my presence.”
I needed to go back to praising Him. I needed to worship Him. To enjoy His presence. His nearness. Closeness. His intimacy. Intimacy with Him.
Our world is so focused on moving ahead and accomplishments, on getting somewhere, advancing, to-do lists and such. Do we not need as our highest priority daily to take the time to be still in God’s presence, to study His Word and worship Him, to rejoice in His glorious company, and to trust He will by His Spirit lead us forth step by step in His time?
When we who believe in and follow the Lord Jesus Christ for the promise of everlasting life learn to trust the Lord moment by moment to love us, lead us, provide for us, grow us, conform us to Himself, use us for His glory, & prepare us for forever with Him, we can rest in this moment, in His presence, and celebrate He is Lord and that we are His forever! Moment by moment, let us learn to trust Him and to enjoy His presence.