Let me hear your voice

Let me see you, let me hear your voice. 

It’s amazing what people will do to attend a special event or to get something they really want.   We see images on the news of people waiting all night outside a store just so that they can buy a new cell phone or get tickets to a new movie before they sell out.

Thank God we don’t have to be like that when it comes to God’s grace!   Granted, there are countless stories about saints praying long into the night.   But that wasn’t because they were afraid God would leave them empty; it was because they knew how good he is.   They knew there was no risk of his grace “selling out.”   They just wanted to receive all they could so that they had more to give away.

Scripture makes it clear that being in God’s presence changes lives.   The Song of Songs dramatizes the way that God’s love reaches into our hearts and fills us in a way that no other love possibly can.   The Book of Psalms is filled with proclamations of praise and heartfelt cries of gratitude for God’s love and his blessings.   When Mary, pregnant with Jesus, arrives at Elizabeth’s house, her cousin is overcome with awe and joy.   Even Elizabeth’s unborn child, John, leaps for joy in Jesus’ presence!   Again and again, we see how lives are transformed when they are in God’s presence.

Jesus offers you the gift of his presence today.   You don’t have to wait in a long line or worry that he might disappear before you get to him.   He is waiting for you; he is eager to welcome you.   It doesn’t matter how you come to him.   You can find him whether you are dancing with praise music, chanting ancient hymns, kneeling in a chapel, or singing Christmas carols in your kitchen.   You may experience him in a way different from your neighbor or even your spouse.   But that doesn’t matter.   All that matters is that Jesus is with you, waiting to be found by you.   There is no better place to be than in the presence of Jesus, your Redeemer and Friend!

word among us