Soaking in His presence

“Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting].” -Psalm 131:2 (AMP)

“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him...” -Psalm 37:7a (AMP)

What does your time with our Heavenly Father look like? When you read that question what is the first thought to enter into your mind? Excitement? Peace? Joy? Or, is it a feeling of discouragement, want or shame?

In our “busy” lives, is there room for God? When do you come before Him? A quick prayer in the morning, at lunch and before bed-time? He is speaking to us the Words of Psalm 14:2, “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.” He is looking for true seekers. He is looking for those who are not satisfied with a 1-hour a week church service, but who long for more. He is looking for those who read something like John 14:12 (“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”) and get excited.

In short, we are called to more. When we started out at Spirit-Led our slogan was, “There’s more out there.” That slogan still rings true, He is calling us to more. Over the next few weeks, I want to share thoughts on that subject, as we go deeper together.

First, though, I want to talk about our intimacy and our personal relationship with the Father. I am sure that all of us, to some degree, have a prayer life. We spend time before the Lord, praising and thanking, interceding for others and situations, etc. We will look at prayer more in-depth in the coming weeks, but I want to talk about the part of our time with Him where we just BE QUIET.

Psalm 37:7 says to be still, rest in Him and wait for Him. Didn’t your mother ever tell you that you have 2 ears and 1 mouth, so act accordingly? It’s the same in our time with God. Many times, we run up to Him and talk and talk and talk with a list of wants, when what we really should be doing is being still, resting and waiting for Him. The old-saints used to call it “tarrying,” but it’s much more than that. Most today call it “soaking” in His presence, and I personally like that term.

He longs to speak to us, recharge us, show us things and encourage us as we just sit silently before Him. This can change your life! When you soak something it becomes saturated and full of whatever it is soaking in. One person gave the example of a cucumber. If you place a cucumber in vinegar and spices for a few minutes, then eat it, it will still taste like a cucumber; however, if you take that cucumber and soak it for a couple of weeks, it has become a pickle because it has taken on the flavor of what it was soaked in. Soaking and spending time in His presence saturates us with God and we take on God’s flavor or His nature (2 Corinthians 3:18), and when you are that intimate with someone, you care about what they care about. The more time you spend with Him, the more you become like Him, and the more in-tune to His will you are. He is ready to work through you in a new and more powerful way.

So, what are the results of “soaking?” A renewed mind, deeper intimacy, peace, hope, encouragement, direction, answers, guidance, a quieting of the flesh, revelation and more. I remember one of the things that God showed me recently during this type of time with him was an idea of a new type of street outreach among the Quechua. It will start this week. He shared it with me when I quieted myself and allowed Him to speak. Sure, our ideas are good, but His are quite better and He has them for you. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you stop praying, but it does mean that He wants to speak as well.

So, I challenge you to get before Him, just mark off some time. Careful, the flesh doesn’t want it, so get rid of the distractions. Turn on some worship music (I suggest the music of Kimberly and Alberto Rivera) and let it set the tone. Don’t come with a list of wants and words, but just clear your mind, rest in Him, meditate on His written Word and allow Him to speak to you and love on you. You will be surprised and will find that there is, indeed, more out there...

“But those who WAIT on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” -Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

'Til they all hear, Eric Lovin