You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.  – Psalm 139:5

This past Friday, God’s presence manifested for me and one of my friends while we were praying.  We pray almost every school morning.  Most of the time, we say pretty much the same things and it is all nice, we know and believe that God hears, and we go about our day.  I have no idea what was different about this day, but when we started praying, God just devoured us.  I was in tears just sobbing.  I didn’t want to leave . . . ever.  

Every other time this has happened, I have tried and tried to recreate it.  Never does it repeat itself in the same way.  This is the first time that I’m aware of this fact and the first time that I will make no attempt to recreate God’s presence in the exact same way.  I will appreciate that moment for what it was and appreciate how it is still affecting me this morning.

I so want some more of that presence.  I’d love to get in it and just hang out for hours and hours.  When will I experience it again?  I don’t know.  But here is what I do know . . . it happens when I least expect it, and it happens when I’m doing things that honor Him.  I might be listening to praise and worship, I might be praying, I might be in a Spirit-filled church, I might be listening to a sermon, and I might be just thinking about Him.  I believe He is teaching me this morning that I don’t need to go presence chasing, I just need to keep my environment conducive for Him to show up.

Lord, there is nothing on this planet that compares to feeling You.  I can’t imagine how awesome Heaven will be.  Thank You for making Yourself real to me, Lord.  Will You make Yourself real to others?  Change people by the power of Your presence.  There is nothing like it, and there is no one else like You.  Amen