Image via I Am…Faithful via flickr
As we were singing “I Will Run” in church recently, even though I was worshiping with both hands in the air and I was singing the lyrics passionately, I was feeling convicted in my heart.
As human beings and Christian women, it is often easy to become familiar with feeling the presence of God. We know what His sweeping presence can do in a service. We know what it is like to feel Him so strongly that we can not do anything except bow down in His midst. Many of us have been lost in His presence and know the beauty of change that can come when He touches our hearts.
So I will run, forever I will run unto you oh God now you have my heart so I will, I will run, forever I will run, run to you oh God were else can I go…” – Freddy Rodriguez
However, we know that there is another side of familiarity with the presence of God, as well. We have gone to church on bad days, we have sung songs from memory, we have participated in outward form of worship even though our hearts were not truly involved in praise. On those days when there is an absence of a certain feeling that we’re accustomed to, we might even occasionally wonder if God is present at all. We sit in church and wait for God to show up; we wait to feel Him; we wait for His presence to fall. We know we need that touch and we are there waiting for Him to do the work.
[pullquote width=”300″ float=”left”]The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. {Proverbs 18:10}[/pullquote]
The Name of Jesus is like a protective tower that we should run into for safety. Reading Proverbs 18:10 reminds me that God is not only here for us, He is here to keep us safe and to take care of us, but the Word clearly says we need to run to Him in order to have that protection.
Ironically, it seems that when we need God the most in our lives we tend to pull back and wait for Him to come to us. Instead, we should be running towards Him. In Him we will feel peace, strength, comfort. In Him we will find answers and direction. In Him we will find all that we need.
All we have to do is run to Him.
Those moments that we find ourselves running to God will be the moments that will be the most life-changing for us. He will meet us in a way that we cannot predict. He promises us that He is and will be a strong tower and that should keep us wanting to stay near Him at all times. We must remember that if we feel far from God, He has not moved away from us, but rather that we have moved away from Him. We need to run to Him and stay near to Him.
So ladies, I challenge you: the next time you feel far away from God, do not wait for a calling from Him in your heart to reconnect with Him; instead, run and meet Him instead.
Will you join me in running intentionally toward the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ this weekend?