Psalms to Make You ThinkSample

Psalm 84

Have you ever noticed God’s presence in the room? Maybe it’s at DTI, maybe it’s at your home church, in your bedroom, or maybe it’s anywhere else. The spirit of God is not contained in a place or an object, in fact, we can carry His presence with us into every place that we go. Sometimes, the presence of God makes people act differently e.g. in times of ministry, people will often laugh, cry, shake, or fall over. These are all physical responses to the presence of God. Sometimes His presence makes people want to repent or say sorry for things they’re not proud of. God also lifts guilt and shame off of people in his presence. These are all emotional responses to his presence and many more

Psalm 86:5-6 - let us know that people who spend time in his presence and put their strength in the Father are able to walk through the valley of Baka and make it a place of springs - Baka means weeping, and springs resemble fresh water and new life - therefore this passage says we can take situations of hurt and upset, and turn them into situations of new life. When someone carries the presence of God into a room or a situation, you can often just feel it. It changes the atmosphere and changes how people respond to each other. Putting our trust and finding our strength in the Father isn’t always easy. There are some things that don’t feel big enough to worry God with, and some things that just feel way too big to let go of control, but He’s got you. People who spend time in His presence and find their strength in Him will carry His presence with them.

What are some practical ways we can carry his presence with us? Spending time with God in the little moments is a great way to do this, and also to get to know him better. By all means, spend longer chunks of time with him in the morning, or the evening, but don’t let that stop you from also engaging with the Lord while you’re eating breakfast, tidying your room, or walking home. There are great tools like the ‘lectio 365’ app, the daily examen, worship music, and the Lord’s prayer, that help us connect with God in shorter spaces of time, but sometimes it’s as simple as remembering to pray on the way to school, that will make you more aware of God’s presence with you in the classroom.

Why not spend 5 - 10 minutes or more now? You could put on some worship music, read some of the bible, or just put away the distractions and tell Him about your day - often He speaks back to us when we spend time in his presence, so you could also listen in and see what He says back.