Experiencing God's Presence #365

And so we will be with the Lord forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:17, NIV

The Presence is not a peripheral issue. It’s our destiny. It’s what we were made for. Though the Bible ends with a wedding between the Son of God and those made in His image, in a sense that’s where the fulfillment of creation actually begins. For all eternity, we will live in perfect union with Him.

There will still be adventures to have, things to learn, maybe even battles to win. We know He wants us to rule with Him on His throne (Revelation 2:26; 3:21), so we certainly won’t get bored. Living with Him forever will involve lots of activity and lots of interest. There will be quite a few things to get passionate about. And we will spend plenty of time with the people we knew in this age because we will still know them then. But mostly our eternal state is about a love relationship with the One who made us for Himself. More important than all the things we do is the One we do them with.

That’s why spending a year persistently pursuing His Presence has mattered. That’s what this collection of devotional readings has been about. And that’s a focus that should continue throughout our lives. The more we seek intimacy with Him in this age, the greater our experience with Him will be in the next.

Let this day not be the end of a yearlong exercise in God’s Presence but rather just one more day in a lifelong—or actually eternity-long—adventure. He will always pursue you; always pursue Him, too. Cultivate a heart that longs for Him, and it will surely be satisfied. And know that the joy of His Presence will never, ever end.

Yes, Lord—forever. May our intimacy always increase. Let my experience of Your touch never cease to grow. Thank You so much for choosing to love me and letting me know You forever.

From the book