Goose-bumps aren't always necessary

Sometimes we want to just 'feel' God - right? We want to know he is with us - that he is right here in this moment. We want to 'feel' his presence - that he isn't far away, but drawing near and holding us close. Is it wrong to want to 'feel' God? Absolutely not! In fact, God doesn't ask us to squelch our feelings. We aren't to rely upon what we feel, but it is not wrong to have feelings. There are times when we will 'feel' life deeply and there are going to be other times when the 'feelings' just don't come through - especially when it comes to feeling the presence of God in our lives. Drawing near doesn't always ensure some type of 'super-natural' moment with God - shivers down our spine, warm fuzzies overwhelming us. Drawing near does ensure we are right where we need to be to hear from God and to have him direct our lives - even when we don't 'feel' those warm fuzzies!

I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell—that’s not my destination! Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way. (Psalm 16:9-11)

Our 'entering into' the presence of God isn't just a time for the 'feelings', but it is a time for him to change us from the inside out - to transform our lives. We might want to know for sure we are on the right path, but there doesn't seem to come that 'overwhelming sign' that we are going the right way. We don't have our faith built by the signs - we have our faith built by consistently doing the things God asks us to do. God is WITH us - he has taken our hand and we can stand assured that we are on the right way. We may not FEEL God's presence with us all the time - but we are in the right place when we draw to close to God and we allow him to begin to orchestrate the steps of our lives.

God doesn't always overwhelm us with 'happiness' feelings - but he does assure us he is with us even when our feelings don't always match the steps of obedience we are taking. There are times when the feelings we experience are pretty doggone ordinary and we don't think we are close to God because things are so 'ordinary' in our lives. Jesus ate, he fished, and he just walked and talked with people. That seems pretty 'ordinary' to me - how about you? Those with him 'experienced his presence', but I doubt they 'felt overwhelmed' by being with him. They just enjoyed his presence. God really wants us to enjoy his presence. Be in a right place with him - bring your sins to him and seek his forgiveness - then just abide. The presence of God is with us, but we don't always FEEL those goose-bumps of his presence. That doesn't mean we aren't where we need to be. Just sayin!