The depths of His Presence.

I am so enjoying getting to know the Lord and just sitting in His Presence. It is so satisfying and fulfilling. I think I am finally understanding, truly, that being with Him is not about getting things done; it's about moving to the rhythm of His heart. I think about how, under the Old Covenant, if people other than the High Priest went into the Holy Place, they would die. Seriously. They would die. God resided in an ark. Why? I don't really know. But what I do know is that we have total access to His presence now, and that blows my mind.

I think part of the process of making our house a home is just this--to meet Him there instead of only feeling that He is accessible at a place like Wesley. When Eric and I anointed our house we prayed that our house would be a place where people can feel the Spirit when they walk in. That because of the fact that the presence of God resides in us, there would have a tangible and noticeable effect on the atmosphere of our home.

I've been realizing a lot of things about Jesus' commands--that he wouldn't command us to live a certain way if it weren't possible. A lot of times in the family of God there is this idea that heaven is a totally separate thing from earth, that nothing good will come until we die and go to be with the Lord, so for now we have to suck it up and endure the crappiness of life. And while there is a true side to that, Jesus also commands us to abide in His love, to remain in Him (John 15); that it was better for Him to leave than remain on the earth so we could have His Spirit (John 14); that in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11); and He specifically prayed that His Father's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6). Just so you know, there is no sadness or despair in heaven. There is crazy joy and no lack.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if Jesus commanded us to forgive others, obey Him, love Him, lay down our lives for Him, live in His love, rejoice in trials, fully depend on Him, and be completely and solely devoted to Him, it means that through Him all these things are not only possible but completely available if we'll choose them and trust in Him. That really encourages me. I know the Lord hides Himself sometimes and calls us to find Him... but He's not really playing hard to get. Sure, it takes perseverance to pursue Him, but I think He wants it more than we do.

Anyway, these are just my current thoughts. To whoever is reading, I just release an awareness in you that the Holy Spirit is 100% accessible to you right now. I hope we can walk together in this truth and live in the reality of His nearness.