In Your presence, in Your presence
There is peace
In Your presence, in Your presence
There is joy
I will linger, I will stay
In Your presence day by day
Till Your likeness can be seen in me
This is an old song I haven’t been able to get out of my head since yesterday- you know how that happens. I tried to find out who wrote it, but the internet pages I checked out gave no answer other than anonymous. It must have been someone who loved the Lord and wanted to spend time with Him, but also realized that His presence changes us*. It should change us.
When I look in my mirror, it’s not Jesus I see. My face doesn’t glow like Moses or even some Christians I know. The face that stares back at me has dark circles around the eyes, thinning hair and pores that should have improved by my age but haven’t (can you say acne!). None of that physical stuff bugs me because it is just my shell and I expect it to age. In fact, I take pride in the few gray hairs I have as they show I have survived this long! What concerns me is my eyes. Some days I see such sadness in them, and I know that it comes from the trials I have endured that have changed my life, mostly for the better but there are things that linger… Other days I see weariness and I wonder how I will ever get through the next stage of this journey. Then there are days when joy shines through and I think, “I need more days like this…” But no matter what I see in the mirror, it is still not Jesus. (Well, maybe there’s some similarity of facial hair. lol)
I guess in the long run it doesn’t matter what I see, I mean, do we really see ourselves impartially anyway? It doesn’t matter how others see us although we are to live our lives as best we can so as not to cause others to reject Christ because of our poor behaviour. What really matters is how God sees us, and I’m just guessing here, but I don’t think He cares if our face glows. He does care what’s in our hearts**.
Moreover shouldn’t we want to have His likeness be seen in us? How else will the world find Him in such dark times? We do want them to be saved, don’t we? Then we have to be willing to put in some effort, even if that effort is finding time to spend in God’s presence- not always easy but soooo worth it! It not only refocuses our eyes on Him instead of all the worldly cares around us***, but also changes our inner man.
Lord, help us all spend time in Your presence, and while we are there, change us to be like You.
*2Cor And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. NIV Rom 8:29, Gal. 4:19
**Heb. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. NLT
1 Chr. 28:9 …for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. NKJV
***Rom. 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV