Praize Blogs

Years ago when I was a young girl, I went with a friend to visit her church. They were having a revival and had a guest minister preaching. In the church I attended, there were usually a whole staff of church leaders that would lead in worship and singing, but this minister was like a one man band in that he lead worship, sang the special music and also preached. Afterward, he lead an invitation for all who felt led to come forward and be prayed for or welcomed if they had made a decision to follow Christ. I still remember the sermon because I was intrigued with the fact that he not only preached to the sermon title, sang a song about it, but also had sheet music and a recording if you wanted to purchase it. I played piano and did buy the music. It was called "Practicing the Presence of the Lord". I was intrigued by the concept of practicing being with God. I practiced piano each day and thought it was a wonderful idea for God seemed very distant during those times and to practice being with God might make Him seem closer. I often throught about Enoch and his long relationship with God. It seemed he had a key to being with God. I asked my daddy about him and he mentioned he had listened to a sermon about Enoch where the minister said Enoch was out walking one day with God and God said, "let's go to my house today", and He took him. That seemed very interesting, but a little unlikely to me. Nevertheless, I continued to seek.

I find as I read, I am not alone in my quest to be in God's Presence. Reading scripture, there are many references to being with the Father and Jesus shared some of His own personal times also sharing, "I and the Father are one" and "if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father". But He also shared that when we feed the hungry, clothe the needy and love one another, we have done it unto Him. So isn't that part of practicing His Presence?

Then I began to think about something I heard a friend preach about once day. He talked about how when God made the Garden it was perfect before sin entered into the mix. Adam and Eve were there in the garden with all of their needs met and it was good as God had pronounced it. God came everyday to the garden and walked with them in the garden. What would they talk about since they didn't need anything. So what did they know that I didn't?

I recently went to a seminar called, "The Blackberry Bush" where when they started the talks, they talked about being inside of a blackberry bush and we were asked if we had ever been around blackberry bushes. If we were inside that bush, we wouldn't have an easy way out. They had a picture of a bush and asked us to place our name in the middle of the bush. The bush represents our lives and all of the cares and troubles we experience. He then asked us where God was during all of this and they placed God outside of the bush. Inside I cried, "NOOOO!!" I have come to know God more through spending time with Him daily, His Word, and just being still to listen to His still small voice. I knew that if I was in that blackberry bush with all that the thorns represented, I knew I wasn't alone in there, but that God was with me. Then as everyone talked and shared, I realized that most of them really related to life alone in the blackberry bush. 

So when did the concept change for me? Was it as I "practiced the presence", was it when I committed scripture to memory, or was it just the time spent with Him? I can't say for sure, but I remember once being asked, "How many times a day do you pray?" This was a question posed by someone whose wife wanted to get to know me and spend time with me. As they were Islamic, he was very careful what kind of people he allowed around his wife. I didn't know what to answer because I knew my prayer life was not the same as theirs. I had seen the pictures of when they are called to prayer and line up facing Mecca. My prayers were not as their prayers were, so before I knew what I was doing, I asked God what to say. A scripture came immediately to my mind 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. I knew at that moment that my life with Christ wasn't something I practiced, but was an ongoing thing as I would ask Him moment by moment how I should answer someone, what I should do, what I should say. His Presence never had to be practiced because He had given me promises that He is faithful to keep. His presence is not up to me and my goodness for I have nothing good in me as a sinner, but He bought and paid for me and made me and heir and joint heir with Him. His answer to me is, "I am with you always".