"Presence"

So I’d never really seen it,

But I believed it true,

And that is ‘cause of people,

Who said they really knew,

That out there in the baldies,

Are things unexplained,

That powerful serenity,

Can out there heal your pain.

So I thought I’d try it,

Just saddle up and go,

Take enough to stay awhile,

And long enough to know.

If any of the stories,

Were true like people said,

Of those who came back altered,

When given up for dead.

And that first night it happened,

The Lord spoke on the wind,

I felt my burdens shifting,

And the healing grace begin.

And day on day He whispered,

To cast on Him my care,

That He would ease my trouble,

And show me He is there.

And yes, what others boasted,

About the healing power,

Of nature’s wide and open,

I felt it hour by hour.

Out there in the baldies,

I listened, felt and knew,

That God there by His Spirit,

Would always see me through.

“I can never escape from Your Spirit! I can never get away from Your presence!” (Ps. 139:7, NLT)

David the Psalmist was an outdoorsman, a man of the herds and the perils of defending them. His testimony concerning God’s presence holds great revelation. He knew that God was with him, and that no matter what happened or where he went, God was always there. It is important for us to realize the same. And not only that, but that God’s presence is a healing, not accusing reality. He invites us to fellowship intimately with Him and receive what He alone can give. The older I get the more I appreciate His faithfulness. We cannot escape from His Spirit, nor should we ever try.

Lord, help us acknowledge and celebrate Your presence with us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.