God’s Presence

God’s Presence – Insights from God’s Word
The Lord will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior He will stir up His zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over His enemies. - Isaiah 42:13

God’s Presence – A Basis for Worship
Prayer: Oh my King -- as I sit with You this morning, You are filling me with such a sense of Your awesome Presence and Power. I feel so privileged in this moment to get a glimpse of a side of You that I quite often fail to recognize. I see You this morning on Your horse, dressed in full armor, ready for battle. I see You looking down at Your people -- reminding them to get ready -- to be on the alert -- as You are on the move and You are taking us with You.

As I gaze at Your reflection, I am sensing a need to see You as You are – to recognize the revelation of Yourself that You are giving to Your kids – if they will look for it. My spirit is being reminded -- even as I bow my head -- to pray for the holiness of our King and the extent of His great power to be revealed. With Your sword drawn, You are cutting away all the counterfeits in our lives. With Your sword drawn, You are pointing us in Your direction and reminding us of our need to consciously look for You.

As Your Word flows from Your mouth and pours out on Your people, Lord, I sense You are sharpening our awareness of Your deep love for all people -- and reminding us to filter everything we do through Your precious Word. You are wiping away our fears, anxieties, and eliminating the resistance we often put on in order to protect ourselves. Help us to be aware of Your refining fire and to gratefully grab on to Your convictions.

As I sense Your Presence this morning -- I am also aware of all the angels and saints surrounding You. This fresh revelation is empowering as I recognize how long You have been preparing us for the battle that is now upon us. I sense no fear, rather, I sense victory, hope and joy! I know in this moment Your loving Hand is upon me -- and many who are praying this prayer -- as You get us ready for any contingency we might face.

I also bow humbly before You, Jesus, acknowledging how very spoiled I have become and how worldly I still am. In this moment of conviction, I see You showing me that I will need to lay all of that down and trust You for all my needs if I am to persevere to the end. This is so necessary because Satan is frightened -- as well he should be -- and his attacks are becoming sharper. He knows his time is short and that You are about to raise up an army of believers to take back the lost ground.

Thank You for this new vision of You -- my Warrior King. I know You are still my Shepherd, my Provider, my Comforter and my Friend, but I also see You as You are -- fully prepared for battle and fully capable of raising up Your army of warriors. I know You will not release me into the battle until I am fully prepared -- and I know You will also use who You will use. This is all about You, Jesus -- it is Your battle.

Please I cry, help all who pray to be obedient to Your call when they receive it. Be especially watchful over our church leaders worldwide as their role is key and their obedience vital. Help all of us to learn from our past mistakes so we will not repeat them.

You are holy, my King, and worthy of all our praise and adoration. You are calling us all to a higher standard of integrity and obedience than ever before. You are warning us to walk our walk as You reveal it to us -- and You are calling us to do what we say -- to be doers and encouragers and not just talkers.

Our battle is just beginning. We are standing on the threshold of a brand new day dawning. The trumpets are sounding and the bells are ringing. In this season of preparation, help us to recognize Your call -- and grant each one of my brothers and sisters the awesome privilege of serving at the pleasure of our King. Help us to lay down our own selfish agendas, egos, and pride -- and to seek after holiness and pure motivations. Therein lies our victory -- as we put our faith and our trust in You -- and follow willingly where You lead.

Remind us You cannot be kept in a box -- no matter how organized, beautiful, or significant that box happens to be. Take Your rightful place as our Warrior King and set the captives free. Provide for the homeless and the helpless -- and reveal Your grace and Your mercy to all who pray! To You be all the honor and glory!

God’s Presence – Making it Personal
Reflect: Just this morning I found myself struggling as I tried to "connect" with the Lord. It was in that struggle that He revealed Himself as the "Lord of Hosts" so I could get a glimpse of Him as He truly is. Many of us are very guilty of putting Him in a convenient box that allows us to feel comfortable in our relationship with Him. If we stay stuck in that box we will miss the very best God has to give us. I would encourage you to take a look at God as He truly is -- here are a few descriptions for your study: My advocate (Job 16:19); Comforter in sorrow (Jeremiah 8:18); Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6); My strong deliverer (Psalm 140:7); Our Father (Isaiah 64:8); A sure foundation (Isaiah 28:16); God Almighty (Genesis 17:1); God who avenges me (Psalm 18:47); Our guide (Psalm 48:14); Our Help (Psalm 33: 20); My confidence (Psalm 71:5);and a Consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24).