In Good Company

I've never been one to shy away from spending time alone, in solitude. I absolutely love spending time with friends and family, but I'm pretty good company for myself as well.

Still, enough isolation is enough! For Pete's sake, I live on the edge of the world in Arizona, my parents are over two thousand miles away, my son is one thousand miles away, my daughter is always. extremely. busy. at college, I write (one of the loneliest professions in the world), and I work out of a home office that is tucked into a corner of my house that even keeps me from the company of my dogs. Honestly, I'm not complaining. That's just the way God has set up my life. And I'm fine with it.

But only because I have the sweet and intimate companionship of my God all day long.


Recently I went through a little period of time when I desperately needed to feel God's presence each and every moment of my day. I needed to feel Him on me, around me, over me...for various reasons.

I needed the accountability, for one thing. I was prone to thinking on things I shouldn't be thinking on and saying things I had no business speaking. I needed Him to keep me in check.

I also just needed company. I was weary of being alone.

I longed to hear a voice besides my own. My own voice, especially the one in my head, had been betraying me. The thoughts that went through my mind were leaning on the faulty side, the unreliable. I needed someone to speak truth to me...constantly.

And I wanted to feel the pleasure of someone's company as well. I longed to feel...well....longed for. Doesn't it make you feel good when someone else feels joy for having been with you. While I probably wasn't in the best disposition to give just anyone a lot of joy at the time, I still longed to feel like I was good company.

So the only thing I could do was seek the presence of the God of this universe.

Oh my, what a thought! To feel and know His presence all day long, from the moment my eyes opened in the morning until the time I drifted off to sleep at night. And quite honestly, I needed Him to be there all night too because I was prone to insomnia during that particular season.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You,
who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.
They rejoice in Your name all day long;
they exult in Your righteousness.
(Psalm 89:15-16)

These are the verses that taught me how to enjoy the Lord's presence all day long. And I cannot begin to tell you what a difference that made in my life. I have stuck to Him like holy glue! And not only has His sweet company brought healing to my aching and lonely soul, but He has counseled me, consoled me, delighted me, absolutely delighted me. Blessed indeed!

Blessed are those who haved learned to acclaim You...
This is a discipline. It doesn't come easy to experience God's presence. It takes practice and repetition and creativity and learning aids, if you will. I had to put several disciplines into practice, such as once again taking the time to really meditate on scripture several times a day, and playing praise and worship music all day long.

who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord.
When we practice the presence of the Lord, we find ourselves in the light, and that's a good place to be. I needed to be ushered out of the darkness of my mind, out into the open spaces of truth. It is refreshingly good to live in the light.

They rejoice in Your name all day long...
One of the keys to practicing the presence of the Lord is meditating on who He is and what He says all day...deeming it to be true and good and sufficient. Focus is so important. All. Day. Long. And at times the day did indeed seem long.

they exult in Your righteousness.
I found victory in God's presence. Trust me, the enemy continued to attack and whispered defeating messages into my ears at every conceivable moment. But the enemy cannot hang around for long in the presence of God's light. And so I found such sweet victory in some very daunting battles. Praise the Lord!

So that's some of my daily bread right now. Just sharing what's on my plate; thought you might like a taste!

What scripture are you feasting on these days? I'd love to know.

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