Sitting before the Lord

Sitting before the Lord

sitting before the LordAre you stressed out and running around like crazy trying to get everything ready? Take a pause. Sit still and be renewed in God’s presence. You never regret time spent in God’s presence.

Why is sitting before the Lord so important? When we abide in God, our batteries are charged. And we can forego panic attacks by recognizing God’s powerful presence in the world.

Be still, and know that I am God! (Psalm 46:10, NRSV)

Why is God calling us into his presence? Because that is our natural state. Because when we are sitting before the Lord, the Holy Spirit can both tend to our needs and prepare us for the glory of God. Because when we abide in God and  reflect on his Word, our faith is strengthened. This is so needed because we  so easily start trivializing God when we skip sitting before the Lord.

But busyness is not a valid excuse from staying away from the presence of the Lord. Just think of King David! No matter of what he found time for sitting before the Lord. Hence he had a wonderful and intimate relationship with God.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? (2 Samuel 7:18, NLT)

How can we have what he had? What can we learn from David?
1) We need to intentionally make time for sitting before the Lord.
2) We need to approach God humbly with open hearts.
3) We need to fully submit ourselves to God.
4) We shouldn’t forget to praise God.

Sitting before the Lord in prayer or in silence is a beautiful thing. Very often the easiest way into the presence of God is through meditative scripture-reading. Like John Piper has said “When the Holy Spirit takes the Bible and applies it to your heart, the bookishness of it, the academic-ness of it, the skill in reading of it, the black and white marks on the page – they all fade away and the connection between persons happens – fellowship with God, communion with God. Oh the bliss of living and enduring as seeing ‘Him who is invisible!’ The Christian life is lived in steady state gazing at what you cannot see, and seeing it. Through the Word by the Spirit.”

The busier you get this season, the more pauses are needed. These ‘sitting before the Lord’ sessions don’t need to take up long time, just long enough to be reconnected and charged with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit makes anything else easier.
Being grace-saturated gets you into Christmas spirit instantly.
Being connected with God makes you glow in darkness.

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for calling us into your presence.
Enable us to create our schedules around these pauses with you.
Fill us with your life-giving Spirit.
You are God and we are not.
We are delighted to be yours.
Bless us according to your will.
Be praised forever and ever!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Do you have regular pauses with God? How often do you sit before the Lord? What’s the draw for you?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as spend quality time with God!

Image courtesy of Caleb Minear. Linking up today with Faith-filled Fridays.

4 thoughts on “Sitting before the Lord

  1. I appreciate the wisdom here. It does seem like I wait to be still until I have teh time. kind of weird when i thin k about it. Building a life where there’s room for stillness is a better option

    1. Thanks, David! All this is easier said than done for sure. But maybe that’s why we need spiritual disciplines to keep us at Jesus’ feet. I so appreciate you visiting and commenting. Abundant blessings to you on your faith journey! And Merry Christmas!

  2. This is just what I need. I’ve filled with a lot of busyness this Christmas season. Thank you for the reminder to slow down and Merry Christmas!

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