NOTE: This article was written by a friend of mine A.J. Bittner who is one of the worship leaders at the church that we attend and is used with his permission.
“A pastor I know took his children to Como
Zoo and his daughter was very close to the lion cage. Close enough that when the lion relieved
himself, it was directly onto her! Have you EVER heard of that happening? I thought that was my comedian pastor friend
getting one over on me, but, oh my, he wasn’t kidding!
A significant part of this little girl’s
visit with the king of beasts is how her status in the zoo was elevated for the rest of the
day. Wherever she went, the entire
animal kingdom treated her like royalty.
Every monkey booth, hippopotamus pool and giraffe genius knew protocol
and respect for Jonae Sutton, KING of the beasts.
She could not get close to another animal all
day. Jonae’s parents had cleaned her up
as far as human eyes and nose could tell, but every animal within a hundred
feet knew there was a lion in their midst.
That was all those animals noticed. Even though this little girl had
only been in the presence of the lion, his presence left an impression that
affected everyone she came near.
It wasn’t any merit of her own that brought
this respect, but because she had been near the king.
As a worshipper and worship leader, I have
read tons of books on the subject of “how to,” when and why to worship, and how
to inspire people to get into the presence of God. I’m always looking for scripture passages,
stories, and songs that will turn people to God with their problems, questions,
and desires, that they would trust Him with their lives. Worship leaders love it when people take
opportunities afforded them during church services to get close to God.
No one should directly equate what the lion
at Como Zoo did to a little girl with how God affects us in His presence, but
understand that when we are in God’s presence, we are affected. Those near us can notice that we have been
affected. In God’s presence, demons bow,
fear flees, and we hear and understand God speaking directly to us.
I want to highlight how one is energized by
God’s presence. He is OMNI-present, so
why do we say we need to get into his presence?
I think many would suggest something about our willingness to pay God
some mind. When Jesus walked the earth,
He often got away to a quiet place so He could escape distraction and spend
intimate time with the Father.
In this world, our lives are filled with
trouble as well as joy and greatness, and Jesus always knew how to stay
connected to His source of strength, our Heavenly Father.
When I have spent time outside of
congregational singing, by myself with the Lord, I have felt the strength that
comes from the joy of the Lord. Being sensitive to His voice has taught me how
to live my life in God’s presence, mindful of the Holy Spirit, deferring daily
in the regular and mundane activities of my life.
This fulfills Psalm 34:1: “I will bless
the Lord at all times: His praise will continually be in my mouth.”
I got a call recently from a friend I had
barely seen in 25 years. He left a voice
mail for me saying his mother had died and he thought I would want to
know. We had only seen each other once
since we were growing up: when he came to my father’s funeral. No one enjoys funerals, but it was obviously
a time to connect to a friend in need and offer strength, wisdom... anything.
These are times to act sacrificially, and
being in the presence of God allows us to connect others to Him as our source
of life and strength and hope. An
attitude of deference to His will in all things is the posture for a life that
can defeat any obstacle and bring us in to the fullness of life God created us
for.
Whoever or whatever you spend time with will
affect how you interact with everybody around you. Others will notice. I have need of strength, and if I remain
estranged from God, my own personal strength will fail when adversity
comes.
If I’ve been in the presence of a lion,
animals will identify me as a lion.
Demonic forces will flee the aura of God the same way.”
© 2016 A.J. Bittner USED
WITH PERMISSION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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