My heart burned within me. I longed to be on my knees at the altar, telling Jesus all the words burning in my bones. But the guest preacher kept talking. I wondered if I should dispense with decorum and just dash up there. Jesus would understand.
Finally, he opened the altar. Immediately, I rushed up there. Others filled in around me. Obviously, God was moving on their hearts as well. But my focus was on Jesus. My heart felt swollen with all the words I had to express in prayer.
The pastor continued to talk. He paced back and forth on the stage praying for those of us on our knees. He stopped in front of me, pointed to the floor on the stage and said, “Someone needs to be here. There is a healing angel standing right here.”
I scrambled forward to kneel in that spot. Up on the stage, the congregation had a clear view of my backside. Did I care? Nope. The material world seemed to just fade away.
The intensity of heat in my body brought tears to my eyes and beads of perspiration to my forehead. A heaviness like a weighted blanket covered my whole body, especially my heart. My breathing became rapid and shallow. But I barely noticed these physiological changes.
It felt as those Jesus were standing right next to me. In the light of His holy presence, my sinful nature lay naked and exposed. Nothing was hidden in the glare of His glory. Yet, at the same time, He communicated His burning passion for me, without speaking a word.
These two ideas seemed completely opposite to me. How could He possibly love me with such burning intensity in spite of my sinful nature? That’s the essence of the gospel, isn’t it?
How long did I tremble under the power of His love? I have no idea. I wanted to linger in my Lord’s presence forever. I wanted to thank Him a billion times for His overwhelming love for me. I felt safe and loved. The peace that enveloped me could only be explained as supernatural. I sigh even now thinking about it.
Nothing compares to the Lord’s manifest presence. In His sovereignty, God is always present, everywhere, all the time. However, the times that He shows up in such a real and tangible way leaves me panting for more. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. And I want more.
I am constantly pursuing more of His manifest presence. I engage in activities that foster that intimacy with Jesus. I attend a church that honors and stewards God’s presence. I keep a daily prayer time where I listen more than I speak. I seek opportunities to worship and praise outside Sunday mornings. I’m in hot pursuit of my Bridegroom King.
How about you? Is your walk with the Lord a boring duty? Or is your walk a romantic stroll through the garden of intimacy? With your time and choices, you decide the vibrancy of your walk with God. Jesus is inviting you to the garden of intimacy, “Come away with Me, My beloved.” What will your response be?