Entering Into God's Presence

... God’s love is constant. It is always fresh and new. It is exhilarating not only because of the way it makes us feel but because of the new horizons it opens in our lives—the way it explains who we really are and why we’re here in the first place. Everything else melts away, and we are caught up in an experience that words alone cannot describe, an experience that changes us from the inside out.

How to Enter into God’s Presence. As awesome and intimidating as this may seem, it’s really not all that difficult to enter into the presence of the Lord and experience his love. On the contrary, Jesus longs for us come to him. He actually enjoys being with us and delights in pouring his love upon us—even more than we long to receive it! Whatever roadblocks exist are generally related to our own sin, our own lack of repentance, or our own complacency.

Of course, it is possible to experience God’s presence without putting in any effort at all. After all, that’s what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4). But it is far more common to be touched by God when we are in prayer. That’s what happened to Isaiah (Isaiah 1:1-6), to Zechariah (Luke 1:8-11), and to Peter, James, and John (9:28-29). So let’s take a closer look at prayer and ask how we can become more open to God’s touch in our lives.

Passionately seek him. Because of the demands of everyday life, it can be very easy for our faith to become too regimented. Like the Colossians, we can fall into legalisms and lose sight of faith’s primary goal: to ground us in a loving experience of Jesus. If you feel that your prayer has become somewhat mechanical or dry, go before the Lord and say, “Jesus, I want to know you. Come shower me with your love. Transform my life into whatever you desire. I am yours.” The truth is, we all need to cry out to the Lord like this every day—throughout our days, but especially when we are in prayer.

Word Among Us

I have been returning more and more to that spot in my own life. Thanks to the on-line retreat making me more aware of God in the everyday, all around me, I have rediscovered that longing to know Jesus better. Yes, I already knew it and, yes, it is a no-brainer ... but "knowing" and "living" are two different things. It is all too easy to become lukewarm, for me anyway, and it is exciting to be pulled out of it back into a more familiar communion with my best and truest friend who wants nothing but my own good.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity