HE TAKES MY BREATH AWAY

Psalm 16:11  "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

When I came home this evening from work, I was worshiping the Lord as I changed.  You know how tired you can get, whether you worked hard or not, just from the long day away from home, away from the reading of the Word, away from the open opportunity to worship the Lord.  My heart felt so blank, just nothing.  As I lifted my hands up to the Lord, I just asked Him, as I so often do, "Lord, please let me feel Your presence" and immediately He flooded my entire being with His presence.  When His presence fills me, just sits down on me, flooding every part of me with His glory, it literally takes my breath away.  When I can breath, all that comes out of my mouth seems to be "Oh, my, oh my".  And I am just weak, standing there hardly able to contain the joy that fills my being. 

The splendor of my Lord, His beauty, His righteousness flows through me, cleansing me of anything that might not be worthy of being in His vessel, His abode in me.  How I treasure these moments, each one, each time He pours Himself over me, is more wonderful than the time before, if that were possible.  How special He makes me feel, how truly special that He would come, visit me, pour His spirit over me in love, His presence lingering with me, my just not wanting this time to end.  Just wanting to stay in His arms, not moving, not thinking of anything, anyone but Him, just wanting to get so deep into His presence, so close to Him.

This morning, early as I lay awake worshiping, praying for the things that were so on my heart, my mind.  Friends needing prayer for different problems, obstacles in their lives, friends grieving as I over the status once again of the land of God's chosen people, of Israel, and grieving for the people that live in Israel, always in peril for their lives, not knowing from one minute to the next if they will be there.  But as I was praying, I too was grieving, just so wanting the Lord to touch, to heal, to destroy the enemy of His people.  I finally fell asleep and when I woke, actually the alarm woke me up, which is rare, but today I slept to it going off. But when I awoke, the first thing I knew was the words to that beautiful hymn going through my mind, actually just the first line of the song, over and over.  "When peace like a river attendeth my way".  It stayed in my mind, the Lord just using those words to that beautiful song "It is Well With My Soul"; using that to remove all the burden of the nights prayers, showing me that to be effective as a prayer warrior, as an intercessor, I must leave those things at His feet.  I must pray and pray, but I must release them along with the prayers going up to His throne room and not try to carry them.  Before long, He showed me, I would be so burdened down by the cares and worries, the concerns for all those I was praying for, I would get depressed, weighed down by things I was not equipped to carry.  I must give them all to Him, the prayers, the people into His care, and His beloved Israel.  Pray and let go.  Be grieved but release to Him to carry them through.  Trust Him, know that He will answer my prayer in His will, not mine.  Just trust Him completely. 

Tonight, my precious Lord, how I love You.  You are life to me, my only desire is to know You more and more.  To feel Your beautiful presence all the time, to completely stay in Your presence.  This 23rd day of May, 2011, I want Your presence to fall on me, once again, to take my breath away.