Are We Seeking God's Presence or His Presents?
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
—Psalm 16:11
Seeking God for who He is, not just for what He can do for us, is vital to our victory as believers. This was a major lesson for me. I had to learn to rejoice in God, not in what He was doing or not doing for me. The joy of the Lord is our strength (See Nehemiah 8:10), not the joy of circumstances.
We will have little or no strength against the devil if we are unstable and allow our circumstances to determine our joy. It took a while for me to make this transition, but what an awesome difference it made in my spiritual life.
Previously, I had always felt that I needed something, that something was missing in my walk with the Lord. I found it all in His presence, not in His presents. What we are looking for is not God's gifts, but God Himself. His presence is what sustains us and gives us life—abundant and everlasting life.
We must decide that we will serve God even if we never get what we want. Like Job, we must say, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." (Job 13:15 KJV)
