God's Presence
If You Want to Hear God’s Voice and Heart
“Lord, are You there? Speak to me.” Have you ever wanted to hear from God? If so, be encouraged. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God is in our midst. He’s a victorious warrior but also quiet in His love.
What does that mean?
I like to think of when I’ve held our little ones. My heart felt like it could jump out of my chest because I’ve been so full of love for them. However, I’ve not been loud with them. Instead, I held them close to my heart and wondered if they could feel my heartbeat as their little bodies nestled against me.
God is magnificent. He is larger than life, the creator of life, in fact. The Bible is His love letter to us. If we wish God would speak to us, we need to recognize that He has.
Open the Bible. Hold it close to your heart. Feel God’s heartbeat as you read His Word. Listen for what He is lovingly saying to you.
Zephaniah 3:17 captures both the Lord’s magnificence and His quiet love. “The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”
Lord, thank You that although You are majestic in glory, You are also QUIET IN LOVE for me. Help me feel Your heartbeat as I read Your Word. Help me know Your love in new ways.
Let God speak to you through one of our free online Bible studies. Click HERE to access them.
Present Help
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
What does it mean to you that God is a present help? Does it change anything? Does it mean that you don’t worry since He’s present with you and is a help? Does it mean that you’re not fearful? It made all the difference for the one who penned the words of Psalm 46:1. He continued, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling” (vv. 2-3).
How could he not fear? I like commentator Charles Ryrie’s explanation. “A refuge provides a shelter from danger. Strength gives us courage in danger. Very present help can have the idea of ‘well-proved help.’ God’s help is both present and proven, ready and reliable.” 1 What a gift God gives us! He’s present to help us.
Lord, I rejoice! You are my PRESENT HELP. I thank You and praise You!
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1 “Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Chicago: Moody Press, 2008).
When You Feel Dreary, Think About This
Do you ever have a dreary day when life doesn’t seem so grand? When that happens remember that the King of Glory lives in you. Consider Psalm 24:7-10 with that in mind.
“Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of Glory may come in! Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of Glory may come in! Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of Glory.”
Psalm 24 points us to Christ, the King of Glory, taking His throne. Glory in this Psalm means “majesty, splendor.”
What is amazing and should redirect our thinking if we are having a dreary day is to remember that the Spirit of the King of Glory is in believers. We are to continually acknowledge His presence and open our hearts for His glory to fill us (Ephesians 5:18).
KING OF GLORY, majestic splendor, I lift my hands and heart asking You to cleanse me and fill me with Your glory. Help others see Your presence in my life and be drawn to You.
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Happy Father’s Day! We hope all fathers, grandfathers, and father figures have a blessed day and know how appreciated you are!
The Most Powerful Name
God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM;’ and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ …This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations'” (Exodus 3:14-15b).
A person’s name represents the person. If you say “Billy Graham,” not only is a visual of the man formed in your mind, but also what Billy Graham represents. If you say the name, “Hitler,” another visual pops into the mind, along with his character.
When Moses asked God what His name is, God states that His name is, “I AM;” meaning “I am the One who is.” His name, “I AM,” emphasizes “God’s dynamic and active self-existence.” 1 He is not only the God who was. He is not only the God who will be in our future. He is the God who is presently active, dynamic, and self-existent today. How aware are we of His active, dynamic presence in our life?
Lord, I praise you, the great I AM!
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1 Charles Ryrie, Expanded Ryrie Study Bible Expanded Edition, New American Standard Bible, pg 94.
Where Can I Go From God’s Spirit?
Have you ever wondered if there was some place you could go that would be away from God? Perhaps you felt shame over something you did and wanted to hide. Or, you may have just wondered if it was a possibility to get away from God. Perhaps you feared your actions had driven God away.
I learned the answer to those questions when I was in high school while doing my daily Bible reading. I came to Psalm 139:7-10 which assures us that there is nowhere we can go from God’s presence. The words were so beautiful, I picked up my guitar and wrote music to accompany the words. Meditate on them as you read Psalm 139:7-10.
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.”
The psalmist’s words are beautiful, but they are more than that. They are true.
Jesus affirmed His continual presence with us in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Which of the verses in Psalm 139:7-10 touch your heart? What does it mean to you that God is everywhere and His hand will lead you?
Lord, I praise You that You are EVERYWHERE. Thank You that I am never apart from Your presence. I love You.
The Lord is always present and wants us to talk to Him through prayer. Learn to pray more purposefully through Debbie’s book, “Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion.”
Comfort in Dire Moments
During the peak of the 2021 COVID pandemic, someone shared with me the following regarding the dire conditions many faced.
“Make no mistake. When loved ones are removed from your home by ambulance because the virus has hit them hard, you are not going to be able to sit by their hospital bed and hold their hand. You are not going to be able to pop in at 7:00 pm during visiting hours. They are going to have no one other than exhausted and brave hospital staff to see them through days or weeks. During that time, they will be completely alone. Imagine that person is someone you love dearly. Because it is a reality for many.”
Disconcerting? Absolutely. Dire? Yes! What is our hope in such times? Is there any hope? Yes, we who have placed our faith in Jesus have the assurance that in even the darkest of times, our Eternal Father is with us (Isaiah 9:6).
Bible scholar and commentator Charles Ryrie explains that Eternal Father means “Messiah is eternally a Father to His people, guarding, supplying, and caring for their needs.” 1 There could be no greater comfort in dire situations.
Do you have a relationship with the Eternal Father through Jesus Christ? If so, with whom might you share Him?
ETERNAL FATHER, in the best of times and in the direst of times, thank You for being with me. Embolden me to share the assurance I have in You with others.
Are you encouraged by the 365 Days of Praise e-devotional? Use the social media icons, below, to share it on your favorite social media platform, so others can be encouraged by it too!
1 Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 Update (Chicago: Moody Press, 2008).
Where is God?
Has a child ever asked you where God is? If so, and you were at a loss for words, consider pointing them to Psalm 113:4-5.
“The LORD is high above the nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high?”
Yes, God’s throne is in heaven, high above the nations and His glory is above the heavens as Psalm 113 tells us.
How can His glory be above the heavens? Doesn’t He dwell in heaven? Yes, but remember that there are three heavens.
The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere and the sky that we see. The second heaven is outer space, where the stars and planets are. The third heaven, where the LORD is enthroned, is beyond our vision. The apostle Paul referred to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2-3, saying he was caught up to the third heaven where he heard inexpressible words in Paradise and had “surpassing greatness of the revelations.”
God is enthroned on high, yet because He is omnipresent, He is gloriously present everywhere.
Lord, You are gloriously ENTHRONED ON HIGH, yet present with me. I can’t wait to worship You in Paradise.
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Here’s Something for Which to be Thankful
It will be here before you know it. Thanksgiving will be upon us. Is your heart filled with thanksgiving? Or do you feel like a deflated balloon, that many things for which you’d hoped have fallen flat? No one will argue that life is hard. It is. Some time ago someone said to me, “The only good I have is because I’m a Christian.” What did they mean? They were saying that Christ is the “goodness” in their life. He is, in fact, what makes us good.
Hebrews 7:26 uses the word “undefiled” to describe Christ because He is more than good. Jesus is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” In other words, Christ is more than a good prophet. He is the high priest of heaven who saves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is.
No matter the circumstances you are facing today, your good Savior is facing them with you. This day will pass. Christ’s goodness and presence with you will never pass. For that, you can be thankful.
Lord Jesus, holy, UNDEFILED Savior, we love and praise You, the goodness in our life, our purity and salvation. We are grateful for and love You.
First Thessalonians 5:17-18 instructs us to pray without ceasing and to give thanks in all things. Would you like some resources to help you with these commands? Check out Debbie’s book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion HERE. Another great resource is the Prayers of My Heart prayer journal, which can be used to cultivate a deeper prayer life and record praise and thanksgiving to God. Purchase your copy HERE.