In His Presence

You will show the path life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalms 16:11

Some days are just hard. Not because of anything particularly disturbing. It’s just that, right now, with little kids, I feel like I’m in the trenches. Today was a hard day, and I just feel defeated. After taking off and lugging three kids to the dentist, the doctor for flu shots, and to Kroger with a screaming toddler, I’m exhausted. I haven’t been able to do much more. As I sat and listened to Ann Elizabeth read her devotional, I realized that my joy and hope do not rely on my outward circumstances.

I know that my Spirit is renewed when I spend time in the presence of my Savior. You see, when I really spend time with Him, my shift focuses. I’m no longer focused on me and my situation. I can’t if I’m truly in His presence. It becomes all about Him.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalms 95:2

You see, when you come before the God of creation, you become humbled. You realize that whatever is happening in your life is minuscule in the grand scheme of things. You begin to worship, and your worship begins to change things. In Joshua 6, God tells His people to march around the walls of Jericho once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they were commanded to march seven times. On the seventh time around, the priests were to blow the trumpets, and then the people were to shout. On that seventh day, the walls of Jericho fell down flat. When we praise Him, strongholds begin to fall.

I realized tonight that even though,my day turned out less than ideal, that all I needed was time with my Savior. Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” I know that my spirit is truly refreshed when I’m in His presence. I just have to take it all to Him.