In His presence

I had the privilege and honor of spending the past weekend in Bonne Terre, MO. I was at a retreat with my friend Elaine, and a group of wonderful women from her church.  The whole weekend was awesome.  Beginning Friday afternoon with a 2 and 1/2 hour car ride over by MYSELF, just me and God.  The sun was shining, the weather was warm, the trees were beautiful.  It was a country drive on hilly highways, part of it even ran along the river road.  I drove through Chester, IL, do you know who is from Chester?  Popeye of course.  Imagine.  I live within an hour and 1/2 from the home of Popeye and the home of Superman. Wow.

If you know me at all, you know I am a big music fan especially christian artist, but I chose to spend this ride with the radio off.   Still trying to work on that discipline of listening for God and being still in his presence.  The ride was amazing and I actually hated for it to end.

However, at the end of it were two of  my very good friends, Elaine and Nancy.  We have participated in so many children's, youth and ladies retreats together that this was like a family reunion.  The retreat center was such a neat place.  It is a farm, a couple from their church own it and allow churches to come for retreats.  We stayed in this remodeled barn, which is beautiful, complete with a stone fireplace, bedrooms, bathrooms, complete kitchen, hot tub, horses out the back windows.  Right out the back windows, in fact they have chewed up the screens.  Not just any horses, but Clydesdale's horses, and he had two that were 5 months old.  This place was like a Norman Rockwell painting.  Thank you Mark for your amazing hospitality.  God has certainly given you the gift of servant hood.

I was excited to get to share a testimony for one of the sessions, but even more excited about what God was going to teach me.  The retreat was based on disappointments, and each session was based on a different season of life.  One session was based on disappointment and how God gave this woman hope, one was based on disappointment and how God allowed her to be content even in the disappointment.  One was based on a disappointment in life and how God brought her through the fire of that disappointment.  Another session was  based on disappointment and how even in that disappointment God kept His promises.  Then it was wrapped up with the closing that in all these disappointments, just like every disappointment in life, we have to surrender it to God.  That it all comes down to surrender, if we want to find hope, be content, make it through the fires, and see God's promises we have to surrender all to Him.  God spoke so clearly to me through these other women, so thankful for their open and honest stories.

Then after everyone else left Saturday evening Elaine, Nancy and I stayed behind for the night.  We got to spend the evening in the hot tub catching up on each others lives.  We served together in ministry for so many years, it was so neat to see where God had taken each of us.  The new paths and opportunities he had lead each of us too.  There was a time, when a night for us in a hot tub, might have been filled with conversation that was not so pleasing to God, laced with gossip and malicious words.  But there was none of it that night.  We shared about our ministries, and families, prayer requests for people we love, and agreed to pray for each other in specific areas of our lives.

Then Sunday morning I got up for another 2 and 1/2 hour drive back home.  When I left, there was a light frost on the ground, and fog in the air.  Again, I chose to ride with no music, just me, God and the quiet in the car.  And as I drove, I began to become aware, that there is a difference in knowing God is always with you, and being in the presence of God.  We teach our kids at an early age that God is always with them, and I am always subconsciously aware of that.  But, there is a different feeling about quieting your heart, and your mind, to know you are in the presence of God.

There are two different texts in the bible where it talks about people standing on holy ground. In Exodus, when Moses stands before the burning bush in 3:5 it says, "Do not come any closer" God said, "take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."  Also in Joshua 5, before the fall of Jericho, a man approaches Joshua and in verse 15 it says.  'The commander of the Lord's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." and Joshua did.

I believe that in both these instances these men were standing in the presence of God himself, that is why it is holy ground.  I could be wrong about that, but that is my thoughts.  For me, what distinguished between the difference of God being with me, and being in God's presence, is my attitude, my submission, my heart, my mind, my surrender.  There is a difference in coming to God in that frame of mind, totally focusing on being in the presence of, a Savior who redeemed me, a God who loves me, a Son who died for me, and a Lord who wants all of me.

I have a long way to go to figure this out, but I feel like I got a little glimpse this weekend.  In my car, alone with God, I got a glimpse of what God is calling me to when he says be still and know that I am God.  And I liked it!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading!