Gifted by His Presence
As I sit and reflect on where I am in this season of my life, I find myself in such a place of peace, contentment, and joy. I haven’t always been here, and I realize that this place I’m in is a direct result of the time I’ve spent in the presence of God through prayer, worship, and the Word. One of the beautiful things I’ve found about spending time with God is that I receive a greater understanding of who He is and what that means for me as His child. In addition to growing in my knowledge of Him, I find myself walking away with some of God’s most precious gifts.
The first gift is peace. This is one of the greatest gifts that I’ve received from Christ. He has gifted me with the kind of peace described in Philippians 4:7 — peace that exceeds my understanding and guards my heart and mind. This type of peace guards me from fear and worry when life seems uncertain. It enables my soul to remain anchored no matter what my circumstances may dictate. This peace also allows me to rest and trust God when my flesh desires to take control. Prior to knowing God, I didn’t have the peace as described in Philippians 4:7. As a result, I’ve come to realize that only God can give this type of peace — such peace cannot be found in the world (John 14:27).
The second gift I’ve received is strength. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Growing up, I often heard and quoted this verse, but now I truly understand and appreciate the strength that comes from God. The strength that God has gifted to me, through His Spirit, not only graces me to accomplish my day to day tasks, it also empowers me to do God’s will, to endure challenges, and to resist the temptation of sin.
The third gift is joy. This is another gift that I’ve freely received from God. Personally, in my life, however, I would say that joy has fully manifested as a byproduct of gratitude. I am still growing in this area, but as a result of being more intentional about practicing gratitude, I’ve found myself more joyful. It’s so easy to complain and to focus on the negative things in our lives, but we have to learn to put things in perspective and to focus on our many blessings. Each time I stop to thank or praise God for who He is and all He has done for me, my heart becomes filled with joy and overflows into my life. This joy then enables me to have a positive attitude, to view life and situations through God’s perspective, and to remain content no matter the season I’m in (Philippians 4:12).
The next gift I’ve received is love. To be completely honest, this has been one of the hardest gifts to receive. Not because God’s love isn’t amazing, but because feelings of shame and unworthiness prevented me from doing so. It wasn’t until I fully understood the character of God that I truly accepted His precious gift of love. (If you’re struggling with feelings of guilt, shame, or unworthiness, I encourage you to read Psalm 103. This passage beautifully illustrates God’s character and love for us. ) I am so grateful for this gift, because it is a daily reminder that I am loved and accepted just as I am. Another thing I’ve found so beautiful about this gift, is that once I received it in my heart, I was then able to share it with those around me. One of my greatest joys as a Christian is to be a vessel of love in this earth and to share the very gift that God gave to me with others!
The last gift is simply God’s presence, and I believe this is one of the greatest gifts available to us as believers. I’ve found myself thanking God more and more for His presence lately, because it truly is wonderful to know that He is always present, that He is always with me, and that I have direct access to Him through His son, Jesus.
What’s even more special about these gifts is that they’re available to anyone who has a heart to receive. If you have yet to experience these gifts in your life, I encourage you to spend time in God’s presence and open your heart and mind to receive.
Blessings,
Imanne
Meditation Scriptures:
“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” - Hebrews 6:19
“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” - Psalm 118:14
“You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” - 1 Peter 1:8-9
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love… - Romans 8:38
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.” - 1 Timothy 6:6
In addition to these scriptures, I encourage you to meditate on the scriptures referenced throughout the post 🙂