The Happiest Place in the World

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11). Can fullness of joy be said to be found anywhere else in the world, except in the presence of the Lord? The presence of Christ then can be said to be the happiest place in all the world. How much time do we spend in the happiest place in all the world? If we truly want to be happy, shouldn't we spend more time here than anywhere else? Reading this verse the past week has been so convicting to me, as I've realized that I spend more time doing other things than indulging myself in the glory of the presence of the Lord. Yes, there is a sense in which we are always in the presence of the Lord, yet in another sense communing with Him, speaking to Him in prayer and allowing Him to speak back through His word in a quiet place, is specially called His presence. Similar to the way we would speak of being in the presence of a friend or loved one. It has always seemed to me that if I'm spending good time in His presence each day, that He just seems to take care of everything else. Yet if I forsake my time with Him for whatever reason, everything else likewise seems to fall apart. It's as if peace, joy, and strengthened faith are a fruit or result of His presence. His presence is the thing that makes us happy and grants us joy in all the other events of life! It exalts God for us to made so happy in His presence that we can't get enough of it. This is why heaven will be so sweet because we will never have to leave, but contiually be consumed with more and more joy! The Scripture says that if we seek first His kingdom and righteousness, that all these things (that we worry about) will be added unto us as well (Matt. 6:33). The Scripture also says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4), because our hearts in delighting in Him are becoming more conformed to His likeness. The promise of God to give us the desires of our hearts is only if our hearts are delighted in Him, which comes from being in His presence. The fruits of His presence are too many to count. So if you're noticing that things in your life seem to be out of control, may I recommend getting away to meet with the Lord. There is no one holy like the Lord and nothing holy-making and joy-filling like His presence. May we be made more happy in God by going often to the happiest place in all the world!

Prayer for Prayer

Brothers and Sisters, I have a new request that I would love for you to join me in prayer about. For about the past few months, the Lord has been burdening my heart with a desire to be a more devoted prayer warrior for others, and as a result has enabled me to see the amazing need for prayer to be exalted as the way the church confesses her dependence upon her Lord. The Lord is sovereign over all creation, working all things according to the counsel of His own will, yet in His soverignty has chosen to provide prayer as the means through which His purposes are to be accomplished. God has made great promises in His Word that He desires to be accessed. It exalts God as His promises are believed and laid hold of in prayer. Prayer is the way we confess our faith in (dependence upon) Christ. How can I be given such sweet promises by the Maker, Ruler and Orderer of all things and allow them to sit there unbelieved? Isn't it also disobedience to not constantly depend upon the Lord in the way He has prescribed? So all that to say, prayer is an incredible gift and is to be utilized as such. How many great revivals in history have come about as a result of revived, God-centered prayer? With all of this on my heart, I have been praying that the Lord would use me to further His purposes in this way at my church here in Louisville. You can then imagine my joy last week, when the brother from my church who coordinates the prayer ministry approached me and asked if I would pray about taking over his responsibilities when he graduates in May. I really feel the Lord leading me in this direction! There are so many things that I would like to see take place, yet realize that it is only by the grace and kindness of God that anything will come about. So would you please pray that the Lord would humble me to serve the body in this way and that He would use me to do whatever He desires through this ministry? If there's one area of ministry that I think gets overlooked most easily, it's this one. I desire church prayer ministries not to be just side, support, supplemental ministries, but one as foundational as Scripture makes it. Also, if there's one area I would like to be strong and well seasoned in before I go overseas for the rest of my life, it's learning to depend on the Lord through prayer. Thanks for fighting for me in this way!