by Dona Hake
Psalm 16:11 (CJB)
“You make me know the path of life;
in your presence is unbounded joy,
in your right hand eternal delight.”
“You make me know the path of life;
in your presence is unbounded joy,
in your right hand eternal delight.”
The other evening I stopped by the flower shop to pick up some unique stems of flowers for a photography project I was working on. As the clerk was wrapping them she asked me how long it would be till I would get home with them. She said, “These cannot be out of water any longer than thirty minutes.” Although I felt I would make it home on time, I asked her to do a water wrap on them just in case I hit bad traffic.
Many times everyday experiences make me think a lot about spiritual truths. Jesus taught in parables a lot because it brought spiritual truths alive through the earthly stories He would share. I began to think about how I valued these flowers and how pretty they were. I also realized that because they were so different that they required special care. It caused me to think about the importance of being mindful that I cannot afford to be out of God’s presence, not even thirty minutes. The life He has given me is so special, and it must be guarded as well. Because He loves me so much, and created me so uniquely for a purpose, I need to value and heed to the truth that He desires that I remain in His presence that my spirit remained nourished by Him.
As I ponder staying in God’s presence I am also thinking about how Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us. You see it is our choice that we must make to value staying in His presence, and doing whatever it takes to make that a lifestyle. I love how this translation is written. God presence is unbounded joy! Think about it, joy that has no limits, borders, or bounds. It is unrestrained, and uncontrolled. Let us also remember the scripture that says the joy of the Lord is our strength.
I encourage you today to think about staying in the presence of your Lord. Think about how He desires that you remain there. Even in the midst of our jobs and daily responsibilities, God desires that we acknowledge His presence, and He wants us to bask in it! The same way that my flowers needed to be drawing on the life giving qualities of the water, we too need to stay in His presence that we draw upon His life continually.