Focus: In His Presence (Pt.1)

Text: Ps.16:11

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

In His presence - that's a place to be at all times! No better place than in the presence of God. Luke records that the insane man of Gadara was "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind…" Right in the presence of Jesus Christ his madness disappeared, and he was in his right mind. That is the place to be - in the presence of Jesus Christ. In His presence we recover our sanity.

In the presence of certain people we tend to lose our sanity and humanity. People have a way of making us look so small in our own eyes. They make us feel like we are not wanted. In the presence of certain people we feel like we don't belong. But in the presence of God we have no such feelings. We never feel rejected or abandoned in God's presence. We never feel less of ourselves in God's presence. We never lose our peace in God's presence. 

The presence of God is home for our souls.

Our hearts yearn for the presence of God. In the presence of God we recover our selfhood, discover our identity and recover our dignity.

Our text tells us that we find fullness of joy and eternal pleasures in the presence of God. You cannot find yourself in the presence of God and not find joy in its infinite fullness.

The psalmist tells us another thing that happens in the presence of God. He says, "When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence" (Ps.9:3). Our foes cannot escape from the presence of God. The presence of our God is their Waterloo. He says, "Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob" (Ps.114:7). Our enemies perish at the presence of God. The earth trembles before the presence of God. He says that "the nations may tremble at thy presence!" (Isa.64:2). Our enemies, the earth and the nations feel the devastating impact of the presence of our God. He says that "all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence" (Ezk.38:20). Every man on earth shall feel the power of the divine presence - the presence of our God. Before the presence of our God the sea flees and River Jordan withdraws.

We find incredible joy and feel the infinite power of the divine presence. Adam was senseless to have run away from the presence of God. Cain was foolish to have departed from the presence of God. Jonah was mindless to have boarded a ship to avoid the presence of God. The psalmist could not imagine a place in this whole universe where the presence of God could be locked out. The presence of God is a place of delight. It is the place where our tranquility, serenity and security are guaranteed.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter