The Joy of Your Presence

“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” Psalm 16:11

I used to think only death could usher us into the presence of God. And even then, I wondered if there was hope for me. That was before I knew God. Oh, I knew about Him. I went to church, Sunday school, Bible school and even church camp. We acted out Bible stories and sang songs about peace like a river, but I had no peace in my own life. It wasn’t until I was 23 years old that I experienced the presence of God. One Sunday morning God met me where I was: lost, confused, broken and without hope. In a single moment I experienced His profound presence and knew more joy than I had known for 23 years. 

The truth is that God is always present. There is nowhere we can go that He is not already there. Whether we sense his presence profoundly as I did the day I came to know Him or whether we feel like He is a million miles away, He’s still here. He’s here to comfort us. He’s here to guide us. He’s here to protect us. He’s here to give us hope. In His presence is joy. A single moment in the manifest presence of God is enough to carry me for a lifetime. And to think that some day we will enjoy the pleasures of living with Him forever.