You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. – Psalm 16:11 NIV
My church has had a tent revival for two weeks, which concluded on Sunday. We had blessed and productive services. Blessed because we felt the presence of the Holy Spirit and productive because two people accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.
Many people asked why we’d be willing to leave our comfortable sanctuary with air conditioning and padded pews for a tent with hard, wooden chairs and temperatures reaching into the nineties.
It doesn’t matter where you have church. The atmosphere in the tent was much more relaxed than in the sanctuary. People who don’t feel at ease coming to the more formal services inside might attend an outdoor meeting.
A slight breeze cooled us, we could hear the birds chirping, and one night when I walked to my car, I saw a beautiful, reddish-brown deer run by and disappear into the woods behind the church.
If we had decided to have church in the middle of the woods, God would be there. Is there a place you can go that God is not there?
The Psalmist, David, wrote, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:7-10 NIV)
If we call out to Him when we are in trouble, He is there. If we are getting ourselves into trouble, guess what? He is there! The thought that God is everywhere is both comforting and sobering.
We had services in the church building this past Sunday. It was nice to be inside again, and the same God Who met us under the tent met us in the auditorium. His presence comforted, thrilled, and convicted us. We worshiped and gave God glory and praise. Church is a time for renewal and reflection and after two weeks of Spirit-filled services under the tent, I felt revived.
But I must say – this old body finds padded pews much more comfortable.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the comfort of Your presence, and for the assurance that when I call upon Your Name, You are there. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
2 comments:
I watched a TV program last night in which one of the characters was tortured by a cruel individual. The victim sat in his living room relating the story to his sister. He said, "I forgot to pray to God. Would you believe it, I actually forgot to pray." His sister replied, "God was there anyway, wasn't he? You're sitting here telling me the story."
Yes, it was only a TV program, and one I really shouldn't have been watching, but every now and again, words like these send a special message to the viewers. Out of the entire episode, those are the words I remember the most.
God is everywhere, even under the rock a lot of people hide under.
Marilyn
"even under the rock..." - I like that. And He is! Thoughtful comment!
Glad you stopped by. Thank you.
- Donna
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