Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Renewal: Living in the Presence of God
Psalms 27
Bincy Ouseph

St. Thomas MTC, Yonkers, NY
4.One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:  to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord  and to inquire in his temple.
 
In a world where we constantly live in the presence of people, how do we live in the presence of God?  The English dictionary defines the word presence as the “state or fact of being present” or the state of being in a given place at a given point in time.  In our lives, we see the physical presence of people around us.  But how often do you think of the fact that God is omnipresent?  We may not be able to physically see Him or touch Him but He is there.  He is an all-knowing and all-powerful God and He is by our side every moment of everyday.  So as David asks, “whom then shall we fear?  God is our stronghold, of whom then shall we be afraid?”
 
What is fear?  Fear is one of many emotions that we as humans experience.  Fear is like a dark shadow that can engulf us.  It can suffocate us, it can overwhelm us and it can overtake us.  So how do we overcome it? We remember that God is our light.  He is our salvation and He has already conquered the worst.  God is our light in the darkness.  When we live in His presence, our light is ever present in the midst of all darkness.  He is our hope and our strength and nothing can knock us down.  Our enemies will stumble and fall because He is great and mighty and we can be confident because our God will deliver. 
 
David’s utmost desire was to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.  Let’s first understand what that means.  Is the house of the Lord a physical house?  Where is the Lord’s temple?  Often times we refer to church as the Lord’s house.  Have we ever wondered why that is?  It is because the Lord’s house is a place where God is present.  Therefore, David’s desire was really to live in the presence of God and to continually seek Him.  For when you live in the presence of God, He will keep you safe.  We often run to God at the first sign of trouble and ask for His help when we are overwhelmed.  But can you imagine living in God’s presence and always being prepared for anything?  If you choose to live in God’s presence, He will give you the instruction and guidance to overcome everything that comes your way.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, help us learn to live in Your presence every day and find our strength in You.  Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
  God is our ever-present light at the end of the tunnel. All we need to do is seek Him to find our way through the dark.

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