Day 15 God’s Presence Pt. 1 [S01:E15]
21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
Release Date: 01/15/2025
21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
PROLOGUE We have spent 21 days in centering prayer, focusing our attentions and affections on God. What a precious time it has been. The nearness of God is surely for our good. The kindness of the Lord truly leads us to repentance. The steadfast love of God and his beautiful presence is transformative. Taking time to behold him really does change us. He is with us always. And His steadfast love endures forever. SCRIPTURE Esther 4:14 “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” DEVOTIONAL The scripture in Esther 4:14 is in reference to God...
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SCRIPTURE Revelation 7:9-10 “I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb...And they were shouting with a great roar, ‘Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!’” DEVOTION Imagine this scene: A crowd with people from every nation, every tribe, every people, every language, all standing in front of the throne, joyfully worshipping at the top of their lungs. That scene sounds like the most electrifying, exciting, chaotic, joyful, unified display of life....
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SCRIPTURE Acts 4:32 “They shared everything they had.” DEVOTIONAL “And all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32) Where could such generosity come from? To hold all things in common and see resources as something to be freely shared and given away? To be in one heart and mind and enjoy every minute of it! Acts 4:32 is fruit from experiencing the presence and belonging of God. His presence and belonging reveal the knowledge of God and who...
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SCRIPTURE Isaiah 61:8 “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. DEVOTIONAL We see in Isaiah 61 that God clearly defines what He loves and hates. He loves justice. That means he loves fairness, equality, and balanced scales. And just as much as God loves justice, He hates its’ opposite - robbery and injustice. He hates wrongdoing, inequality, and unbalanced distributions. There have been cases of injustice and robbery throughout history. But there is a foundational story of robbery and injustice that the whole earth is...
info_outline21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
SCRIPTURE Luke 19:10 states: For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save (sozo) that which was lost. DEVOTIONAL Jesus came to ransom back what was lost. To rescue his glorious inheritance, which is us! Yes, He came to save all of humankind. But what does the word “save” mean? The word save is “sozo” in Greek and represents more than salvation. It means salvation, healing, and deliverance. It means to make whole again. Our beautiful Jesus did not just come to save a part of us. No, he came to save all of us. We are born...
info_outline21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
SCRIPTURE Exodus 33:14 And He said, "My presence shall go with you.” DEVOTIONAL Romans 8:19 says, “All creation is eagerly waiting, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters!” What is creation waiting for? They are waiting for us to bring heaven to earth and take our place as co-heirs with Christ. How do we do such an abstract, overwhelming thing? We simply bring the presence of God with us as we go through our day. We lean into our relationship with God and do what we “see” the Father doing. (John 5:19) We...
info_outline21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
SCRIPTURE Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and have our being.” DEVOTIONAL From the beginning, God established a precedent by walking in the garden daily with Adam and Eve. We were all made to walk with and experience God’s presence as a natural, everyday part of our lives. God created us to depend upon Him and his presence and even to partner with him in our decision-making processes. Jesus emphasized this importance when he said, “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father...
info_outline21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
SCRIPTURE Galatians 4:6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. DEVOTIONAL Belonging is the knowledge of being part of God’s family. It is the spirit of adoption, the spirit of sonship. And it is the opposite of an orphan spirit. Belonging brings safety and security. It allows us to live from love, not for love. Imagine an orphan on the street. They have to look out for themselves. Their goal is to survive. They must stay...
info_outline21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
SCRIPTURE Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Rom 2:4 DEVOTIONAL Jesus said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matt 3:2). Repentance is part of preparing and widening the road for the kingdom of God to come. We see in Romans 2:4 that God's kindness leads us to repentance. Through his kindness and grace towards us, we are empowered to reject anything less than what God wants for us, turn, and grab hold of His higher ways. God wants to bring us into...
info_outline21 Days of Prayer & Meditation (with Anthony Skinner)
SCRIPTURE Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (NIV) DEVOTIONAL When teaching the disciples to pray, Jesus said, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”. His language is an invitation to awaken our hearts to a greater awareness of Heaven. His prayer moves us towards cultivating our ability to see beyond what is right in front of our eyes and begs the question, “What is Heaven’s reality?” The more knowledgeable we become to what Heaven looks like... the more accurately we can pray through our desires, our...
info_outlineSCRIPTURE
Acts 17:28 “For in him we live and move and have our being.”
DEVOTIONAL
From the beginning, God established a precedent by walking in the garden daily with Adam and Eve. We were all made to walk with and experience God’s presence as a natural, everyday part of our lives. God created us to depend upon Him and his presence and even to partner with him in our decision-making processes.
Jesus emphasized this importance when he said, “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does”. (John 5:19) Jesus went even further when he said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3). We are to draw on God’s word and his presence…like we draw each breath.
Did you know that many scholars believe that the name Yahweh “could not be spoken at all—only breathed? Many are convinced that its correct pronunciation attempts to replicate and imitate the sounds of inhalation and exhalation. Therefore, the one thing we do every moment of our lives is to speak the name of God” *
What is it in the heart of God to want to draw so near to us that He “chose to give himself a name that we can’t help but speak every moment we’re alive? All of us, always, everywhere, waking, sleeping, with the name of God on our lips.” **
Of all the scriptures in the bible, possibly one the most devastating is when Adam said to God, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” (Gen 3:10)
Adam heard God, but his response was fear. He was naked (unclothed and unprotected), so he hid. When we feel fear or vulnerable, do we run to God’s presence or away from it? “God called out to man and said, “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9) Thankfully, He is still calling out to all of us.
Why is it so important to be in God’s presence? Because God’s presence changes everything! We become what we behold. The presence of God brings release to the captives, healing for what’s broken, and freedom for the oppressed. It’s not our striving and straining. Not our performance, not working harder at being better…no, God’s presence changes and transforms us.
QUESTION
“Where are you?” (Gen 3:9) What part of you is hiding from God’s presence? What part of you willingly runs to God?
PRAYER
God, I know there are parts of my heart that hide from you, even hide from myself. Thank you for being so patient and kind with me. Thank you for calling me by name. Teach me how to run to you, even when I am afraid.
* Richard Rohr
** Jason Gray