Here in Your Presence

Last night, I felt like I needed to change things up and get out of the routine of “doing church.” More to the point, last week was just a beating. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually exhausting. I’m not complaining, it’s part of bearing my cross. But it doesn’t take away from the toll it takes to go through such exhausting weeks. I normally go to The Village, and I love it. I really wanted to go there last night, but I felt God leading me to go to The Movement at Northplace Assemblies of God instead.

I walked in early, like an hour early. After the insanity of my week, I wanted…I needed some time to just be in God’s presence. Pray. Worship. To feel Him near to me after such a crushing week, without having to get caught up in the well intended conversation with friends asking how I’ve been. I’m very grateful for those friends, it just wasn’t the day for that.

Service kicked off with my good friend and young adult minister Mike Dsane rattling off the typical announcements, followed by the usual trailing announcement about an announcement that would be coming soon when they got more information, otherwise it would have been a real announcement.

I made it through the first song of the worship set, simply enjoying God’s presence. Then I was completely wrecked by the second song, Here In Your Presence. One part of the song just pierced my soul…

Heaven is trembling
In awe of your wonders
The kings and their kingdoms
Are standing amazed

Here in your presence
We are undone

This Psalmesque declaration of God’s sovereignty hit me to the core. Heaven trembles in awe of God’s wonder. Heaven, or the heavens even, is the biggest thing I can wrap my mind around. It stretches farther than I can see, and is infinitely bigger than I am. Yet, it when heaven sees God’s wonders, it trembles. The heavens tremble, and I go about my daily life relatively oblivious to God’s wonder. There are times, when I’m reading and writing, where I think I really get it. Then I get up and go do something else, and prove that I don’t get it as much as I thought I did.

Then I realized that this entire week God was faithfully, lovingly showing me my consistent need for more of Him. This week was so pressing that I felt like I was unravelling at the seams. But in God’s presence, we can do no less. If we really understood all that the gospel does for us, we would cry out with the heart of Isaiah BEGGING God to undo all that we are and make us more like Him, because He has ALREADY accepted us and forgiven us. Because in Christ, we are daily in His presence. Think about that for a minute: the Sovereign God and Righteous Judge of all creation, who had every right to not offer us redemption and let us remain dead in our sin, did EVERYTHING necessary to bring us into His kingdom and His family, and EVERYTHING to keep us there, and EVERYTHING necessary to allow us to be in His presence daily.

So, this week, as you go about daily life, remember that you are in God’s presence constantly. Remember what He has done for you on the cross. Remember, and tremble.