Feeling God’s presence

When I was young, thunderstorms would frighten me. They were loud, unpredictable and growing up in Florida, severe thunderstorms were frequent.

I never appreciated the storms until I left Florida. I lived in Southern California where it almost never rains. Then, moving to the northern east coast, we rarely experienced a heavy downpour accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Surprisingly, I began to miss it and even crave it.

Since we’ve been back to Florida I’ve been relishing in the frequent thunderstorms. They soothe me now, like never before. It’s like that comforting feeling of being home.

There is something so magnificent about a Florida thunderstorm.

Without a moments notice you can experience a brief thunderstorm that is gone just as quick as it began. Sometimes rain pours down out of the sunny skies.

Or when you’re out driving and the skies above you are clear, but up ahead it looks like you’re driving into the end of the world because the skies are black and heavy. Perhaps it’s raining in the front yard but not the back yard, classic Florida.

An Unexpected Encounter: Feeling God’s Presence

A few nights ago, when I went to bed for the night there was a loud thunderstorm and this one seemed to settle over us for a good period of time, at least several hours.

As I lay in bed, soothed by the heavy downpour and rumbling thunder, flashes of light were peeking in through the slits of the blinds. I was in a total moment of peace and comfort. The only thing I could do in such a moment was praise God.

Then, the unexpected happened.

It’s really hard to explain and I don’t tread on this topic lightly. The fact that we have access to a Sovereign God through Jesus is profound!

I literally could feel the presence of God as if I was in His arms.

It wasn’t like I felt Him physically holding me, but His presence was so strong there was no denying He was with me.

There have only been a few times in my life where I felt God speak to me through the Holy Spirit (outside of convictions, which I get all the time) and a hand full of times where I felt deeply overcome by the Holy Spirit. But I’ve never felt what I did that night.

It was an incredible feeling that I can’t stop thinking about.

How was today different than any other day: Feeling God’s Presence

Which got me thinking, why? Why did I feel God that night almost physically? When other times I struggle to feel Him at all?

Recently, my family relocated from Massachusetts to Florida. Although we’re originally from Florida, we are not too familiar with this area. So this particular day we decided to go check out a local beach to watch the sunset.

We ended up at Anna Maria Island. I was quite surprised to see how packed the beaches were despite covid. Thankfully, we were able to find a socially distant spot to soak in the sunset.

We thoroughly enjoyed a couple of hours playing in the sand and staying cool in the water. The Pacific ocean and northern Atlantic waters are very cold; so we welcomed the warm Florida waters. The sunset was stunning as we watched the dolphins surfacing as they passed by.

As we pulled into the driveway at home that night, the rain started to fall and the sky was lighting up with fierce bolts of lighting.

What I realize in hindsight about that day is that God was with me as I absorbed a day admiring His creation. But what was no different from that day is the fact that God is always with me and He’s always with you.

What we often fail to remember is that God is Omnipresent. Meaning that God is present everywhere at the same time.

I know we may not always feel Him, but what does scripture warn us about our feelings anyway? We have to trust God, not our feelings. Our feelings can’t deny the truth that He is always with us.

Not a result of works: Feeling God’s Presence

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

I certainly did nothing extraordinary that day. In fact, I spent a good part of that morning worrying about things outside of my control.

I have to be honest with you. I haven’t opened my bible in about a month. I’ll spare you my list of excuses as to why. Daily devotion books, devotional blogs and podcasts cannot replace reading our bibles. Those things are great, in addition to, but not in place of.

But this moment got me thinking about my relationship with Him and what it looks like.

The truth is, I’ve been in a season of drought. Not due to Him, but everything I’ve allowed into my life to separate me from Him.

It boils down to distractions. Everything in a day in the life of Melissa that distracts me from opening the Word of God, the revelation to man of Himself. More cleaning, more work, more xyz, less Him.

But God is still with me. Which got me thinking of a few scriptures:

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

“Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God.” Romans 8:39

“Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.” Matthew 17:20

Faith can move mountains

I know having a relationship with the Lord is hard for many because He doesn’t speak to us audibly and we can’t see Him in the flesh.

We want to see signs and wonders from God to prove His existence. Can our minds even fathom the mystery of the Lord?

Here’s what we need to know and remember:

There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love Ephesians 2:8 and we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12 but don’t be fooled because scripture tells us that He will give us over to our sinful desires Romans 1:24 just remember that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved Romans 10:13 you will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

God is with us always. He is Omnipresent and His Spirit is living within us. Read more about that here:

3 reasons why we should treat our body as a temple.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Romans 8:11

Isn’t that incredible!

Storms will come and go, the sun will rise and the sun will set. Every moment during and in between God is with us and God never changes. He is the same today, tomorrow and forever. Hebrews 13:8

This is a time to rejoice! What unexpected ways has the Lord spoken to you, comforted you or allowed you to feel His presence?

If you enjoyed reading Feeling God’s Presence, you might like What does it mean to have faith?

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