No man can come to me except the Father who sent me draws him.   

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Our Pursuit of His Presence

  

   We sang "I Surrender All" in church, knowing full well we had not surrendered all. If we aren't hearing his quiet drawing, He sometimes, lovingly, speaks through trouble.

   The trouble was partly my own doing, though not intentional. Clueless, maybe. God permitted something He hates.

😡

   It didn't compute, so we dared to challenge God to show me that He is real. During two sleep-deprived months of wrestling, it was me who needed to show something. He had me on the mat, confessing everything from soup to nuts. I was as low as they go. Perfect.  

  Then, one Sunday night after church, in the parking lot as we opened the car door, a great, wonderful emotion came over me. It's good nobody saw me both laughing and crying while driving up the interstate toward my apartment.

   This began a three-week period that we now suppose was the manifest presence of the Spirit. Several Bible verses stood out, especially in Psalms, as if meant for me. 

   We had our answer in five vivid words:

 Jesus Christ is the Truth!    

   The glow left as quickly as it came; we would have traded the rest of our life for just five more minutes of him. 

😊

   We will never be the same. Still, daily life has a way of crowding God out. So, we keep pursuing, not just on Sundays, not just when we feel like it. 

   The Reformation that followers of Martin Luther sparked gave the least of us the same access to God as has anyone on earth. There is no one between us and our loving Savior, and He wants us to know him personally.  

Who can stand in the Presence of the Lord, this holy God?

1 Sam. 6:20

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Note: Don't think I'm saying you must have the same experience. That was me, decades ago. You are you. I wrote this for encouragement, nothing else.    Jimmy