Read: 2 Samuel 7:18-29
What an incredible privilege to come and simply sit
before the Lord. Step away from our
crazy busy lives and simply lose our selves in God’s presence. In Psalm 46:10, we are told to “Be still, and know that I am God.” The word translated “be still” is rafa, which means to become slack, to
relax, to cease, to let drop, to let go, or to become weak. It is often used in reference to our hands,
but applies to any part of us bound up in tension and a desperate attempt to be
in control. We are instructed to unfurl
our tightly clenched grip, hearts and jaws, and release all we are, have, are
doing and facing into God’s presence.
God’s presence is:
1) Universal – Acts 17:28 says, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” He is omnipresent. There is no place we can
go where God is not there. Psalm139:7-10
2) Invitational – Almighty God invites us to come into
His presence. We are encourage to come “to the throne of grace with confidence, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews
4:16) We are very good at coming to Him with our wagons full of wants and
needs. He invites us to do just that, but it becomes the only way and time we do
come to Him. The real invitation is to rafa – simply come and sit before the
Lord, receive from Him all He is and has to give.
3) Intentional – It is up to us to step deeper into the
reality of His presence. Here is where
the will must be employed. A response to
His invitation to come fully into His presence begins with rafa – being open, empty and willing. Read Psalm 95:1-7. We need to open our hearts, minds, hands and
lives to His presence; willingly invite Him to invade the furthest recesses of
our being.
4) Personal – Even in corporate worship, entering deeply
into the reality of God’s presence is a one-on-one thing. It is personal to us. It is even more personal to God. Personal means engaging on a heart-to-heart
level. It requires being fully
present. Just as much as we desperately
want to be heard, so does God! The
biggest hindrance to really listening is failing to rafa. Instead of being
still, open and engaged, we make it all about us. Our busy minds, mouths and
bodies not only keep us from hearing, but from being fully open to God’s
presence.
5) Experiential – Psalm 41:12 says, “You set me in Your presence forever.” There is something incredibly intimate in
this statement. Like a Daddy-child
interaction, the progression of being in God’s presence goes from being in the
same house to moving into the same room, then finally up into the warmth and
joy of being in His arms. There is a joy in His presence that only a very
personal divine encounter enables. He
does His part. We need to do ours. Read Psalm 16:11 and Psalm 21:6.
God says in Psalm 46:10 that the result of rafa is “yada kiy anokiy Elohim!” -
“know that you know that I Myself, personally and specifically, am
God!” By quietly sitting in His presence
we experience His existence, His power, His personality, His love, glory and
grace. The reality sinks in that He alone is God, an amazing God, an
unfathomable God; and we aren’t! We
climb down off the thrones of our lives, and quit trying to crowd in with Him
on His. We take our rightful place at
His feet, His beautiful nail scarred feet, safe and secure in the peace and joy
of His presence.
Making It
Personal
How intimate has your encounters with the presence of
God been lately?
Have you experienced God on all 5 of these levels or
simply settled for universal and invitational?
How can you take it to the deepest level of
experiential that He desires and makes possible?
What do you have such a firm grip on (or has such a
firm grip on you) that it hinders your being fully present in the presence of
God?
When was the last time you simply went and sat before
the Lord – didn’t say or do anything, just sat?
Why not stop everything and do so right now?
