2nd December 2021

Checking into Gods Presence... Seeking and cultivating the Presence of God. 1 God moves in a mysterious way
his wonders to perform;
he plants his footsteps in the sea,
and rides upon the storm. 2 Deep in unfathomable mines of never-failing skill he treasures up his bright designs,
and works his sov'reign will. 3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
the clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy, and shall break
in blessings on your head. 4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace;
behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face. 5 His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding ev'ry hour; the bud may have a bitter taste,but sweet will be the flow'r. 6 Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain.              -William Cowper In seeking and cultivating the Presence of God; the above lyrics come to mind. It suggests that God moves in a mysterious ways and His works are unsearchable. Those who must seek Him must first believe in the awesomeness of His great works and should be ready to follow Him irrespective, even where the evidence is showing God to be remaining silent over some affairs; often the perceived silence in God’s nature does not mean He is not always acting on our behalf. It is not uncommon to read meaning into the constant thought on the struggles we go through in the way we approach our daily life. Usually, it revolves round the notion on whether to be or not to be a very good Christian; however in real term, this attributes can also stand for seeking to cultivate God’s presence in our daily pursuit in Christ Kingdom. Without much ado, the simple answer to the two questions can be found usually with the individual steps taken in our quest to answer the demands necessitated by the events in our daily life: and without any doubt, it is such steps that will clearly define our role as genuine child of God or not. In part, the essence of faith becomes very paramount in seeking to cultivate the presence of God. Christ Himself succinctly puts the idea very well in Matthew 17:20 and it says: “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. As well; it is wonderful to note what Jesus said with regards to having faith as small as a mustard seed; according to Him this is enough to move a mountain if we consistently trust and believe in Him. Pretty much this shows that for us to begin to experience the mystery of God in our day to day living does not really require much from those who have decided to put their trust in Him and His Holy Name. All we need do is trust Him and believe that what He said He will do He will do with our faith as little as a mustard seed! Consequently, it is only if we can trust, believe and obey His dictates that we can begin to experience His mystery in a larger form: and this includes the ability to do all these with patience, perseverance and the fear of God. The same message was buttressed by Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 11:1-3. It states: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:” Hence and Irrespective of what position we may find ourselves, God can still change our situation if something is found to be lacking in our journeys of faith. Are you therefore in a wilderness of “not to be” or indeed a court room of not to be a good Christian? Let me assure you that help is always at hand whenever you decide to follow Jesus Christ. In Psalm 77: 1-15, David gave us a clear insight into the sort of relationship those are seeking and trying to cultivate the Presence of God should maintain. It says- “I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.   In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.  I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.  Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so gr However, it is when a man does not have a divine clue to their problems that they lose hope and begin to complain; that is when God’s name, works and the awesomeness in His Holy Name usually comes under the attack. Whatever “you have against you” now and indeed what any man may have written about you does not in any way describe what God says will happen to you. In a situation where you think that help is no longer available; this is irrespective of the essence of the spirituality that governs you; the common perception is to feel that the Lord had done us evil and the tendency is to forget about all His promises. At that time, it may be very difficult to believe that with God there can still be a lifting up at any time. In that God can use anyone at any time as an example to promote His course for His avalanche of grace to come to manifestation. And there is a glory set aside for anyone who believe in Him, that alone can emanate from any establishment according to  Proverbs 21:1 which states: “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” Are you fighting a lost course? Do you think it is all over? Or have you been suppressed in any version that may have dented your faith in the power of His Holy name? Let me assure you that there would be antagonism from many quarters but can still change your story. The question is: are you sure God can still do it? You must always remember that the story of your life cannot just end until Christ says it has ended. What you think it’s impossible will definitely come to pass if you consistently trust God, fear Him and obey His commandments. What type of wilderness are you going through at the moment? Instead of seeking to cultivate the Lord’s presence into your life; would you rather ensure you galvanise your position by moving into the complaining camps. In Philippians 2: 9-16, a clear insight was given by Apostle Paul on how to seek and cultivate the Presence of God. “ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputing’s:  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain. In closing, let me remind you about the biblical narrative of Hannah in the Book of 1 Samuel 1:2-2:21. It is worthy to mention that outside of the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, Hannah’s name was never mentioned in the Bible. However, we later found out that she was one of the two wives of Elkanah, the other being Peninnah who had given birth to Elkanah's children. The Bible recorded that Hannah remained childless because the Lord chose to close her womb in 1 Samuel 1:6. As a result, she was provoked, despised and humiliated about her condition by Peninnah. Naturally and like any of us, she felt despaired, dejected and disillusioned about her experience and the treatment she received first from Peninnah, Elkanah and even Eli the Priest. But instead of complaining, retaliating and or lose sight of God, Hannah remained focussed and committed, rather she took her anguish to God. She continued to seek the face of God like never before and she visited Shiloh yearly until the Lord answered her prayers. The Bible also recorded in 1 Samuel 1:11 that Hannah also introduced a vow in her prayer. Hannah vowed a vow and she called on God on the strength of her vow to look upon her with mercy and compassion on her afflictions. She promised that if God will indeed remember her on the strength of her vow, she will give back to God the long awaited son when he comes. God was simply moved and impressed with her because she chose to cultivate His attention through prayers, faith, fear of Him, perseverance and a vow. Consequently, her womb was reopened but with multiple returns because Hannah was only looking for one child from God but: “the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.” 1 Samuel 2:21. This is a clear example that  we must always learn to cultivate the Lord’s presence in our lives with patience, faith,  trust and perseverance irrespective of any condition that may come our way. Grant us oh Lord the will to work with your plans in Jesus Name. Amen Http://testimony-times.blogspot.co.uk Just Checking into His Presence...