You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy – Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)

You are always in ’the presence of God.’ Col 1:17, says “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” He is everywhere, in the fabric of everything. Many don’t feel His presence, and I know many of us go through seasons of not feeling it either. We ask, “Where are you God?”

Not feeling His presence has nothing to do with whether or not He is here, but our awareness of His closeness. We can go for days, years, even whole lifetimes without realising that God was/is right there, waiting.

During those moments where we don’t feel God, we start feeling other things – fear, uncertainty, loneliness, anger, exhaustion, and more – all the while wanting to experience joy and peace. I’ve searched for joy in my relationships, bank account, success and reputation, and other places, which has given some satisfaction for a while, but never lasts… When I feel good because my bank account is full, I live afraid of what happens if it empties. If I feel joy in a relationship, it never takes long for tensions to rise and the joy to flee. I’ve relied on my successes and reputation to fill me with worth, which has been one of the most costly things to my soul. It doesn’t take much for reputations to be tainted and successes to turn into failings…

Lasting joy; cast iron and stubborn, that doesn’t leave when the going gets tough, can be found in the presence of Jesus. Joy is experienced in all its fullness when we can be vulnerable, heart on the table, in front of our Saviour, Creator and God, who loves us.

He shows us the path of life – look His way, follow His leading. When you walk down the road He’s carved out for you, it won’t matter which way you turn, what lies ahead or behind, joy will be with you always, just as He is.
If you’re having trouble feeling the presence of God, engage in thankfulness. In any season, there is always SOMETHING to thank God for… even for the smallest things: your full belly, a book or album, family & friends, your breath, the roof over your head… Thankfulness unveils His presence. It reveals it and untangles it from our inability to see through our circumstances.

Open your eyes, open your heart… joy awaits. Always.