Joy in His Presence

Scripture: Hebrews 11 v 6:  "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
Psalms 16 v 11: "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

As families our greatest joy comes when our children, whether still young, or adults with children of their own, want to spend some quality time with us.  We get this love from our Heavenly Father, who pours out His joy upon us when we pray and fellowship with Him.  Why is it so sweet? Because He is the One who loves us most.

Our faith must be visible, active and bearing fruit to please our Father in Heaven. We must know why we have confidence in Him. We must have a testimony of how He helped us when we were under enemy pressure. 

Firstly we must believe that He is! That He exists and is real, loving and able to do more than we could ever imagine. This causes our faith to grow and the more it grows, the more powerful it becomes. 

Secondly, He is a rewarder to those who seek Him with all their heart. He never disappoints those who give up their fleshly pleasures to spend quality time in His presence seeking to know Him and to put their needs before Him. 

Our rewards include a deeper walk with Jesus; answered prayer; meeting the needs of others effortlessly; receiving revelations and prophecy of the future moves of God and the joy of His presence continually. 

The Lord will take us to the path that leads to Life.  It is a strait and narrow way, or a disciplined and completely moral way.  We are new creations who choose righteousness over sin, and light over darkness.  The world does not understand us, nor love us, but tries to highlight every lapse we make and judge us harshly for it.

However, our lives become an instrument in our Father's hand to be a lighthouse for those souls in the world who are losing the battle against sin, sickness, or death, and seek a different outcome.  That is when our testimonies help to encourage those seeking hearts to find the Father and be reconciled to Him.  

For we all went astray and filled the God-shaped part of ourselves with every distraction, entertainment, alternative religion, career, addiction, rebellion, idols, lies and stubborn clinging to worldly realities.  We rejected the healing power of God through the stripes of Jesus, for the wisdom of medical practitioners who have zero spiritual understanding.  We can label our lives before salvation as The Devil's Alternative!

In that state we have forsaken the joy of His presence for worldly happiness.  Our hearts can easily break under the load of sorrow this world gives us.  However, its often through the heartbreak that we re-enter the presence of our Father, and the relief of forgiveness and acceptance restores our joy.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your presence is awesome in the lives of those who diligently seek You and You never fail to amaze us. Lead us ever closer to Your Light so we may reflect Your glory and inspire others. In Jesus' name. Amen.