"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near." Isaiah 55:6
Soaking in the presence of God can be quite addicting. In the moments that are most dense with God's love, we experience healing, we are restored, we are transformed, we are sanctified. But these moments never look the same. Maybe that is simply God showing off his creativity; nevertheless, every encounter with Jesus is unique and perfectly designed to bring him glory. This love is found in the moments in which we accept son or daughterhood and we trust that God really does care, yet it is not limited to being on our own. We encounter a deep love whenever we seek to serve our brothers and sisters, when we choose to love our enemies in the midst of persecution, whenever we willingly give when we feel we have nothing left to give.
Press into me, I want to take you to the deep places.
God continues to tell me how he wants to take me to the deeper places in his kingdom. He's told me through my teammates and through scripture. He even spoke to me through a random billboard today: I looked up from praying in the van and the first thing I saw was, "Taking you deeper." How do I get to the deep places? How do I press into God? I thought it would be through my personal pursuit, but God subtly showed me I was wrong. The deeper places are found in the quiet, intimate moments spent with Jesus, but they are found even more when I share this ineffable love with the rest of his creation. The deep places are found when I give freely of myself to glorify the King.
The deep places are found when a man named Matthias realizes that he can pray every day, anytime of the day, and Jesus will always hear him. The deep places are found when little George (a child sacrifice victim) has someone to hold and play with him. They are found when the dying villagers realize that someone cares enough to visit and pray with them. They are found in the moments when God and his children become more important than oneself. They are found in love.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
I want more than anything to go into the deep places, and those places are not found in myself. They are found in dying to myself and giving entirely of myself. They are found in love.
