There’s an old song that rises up in my heart occasionally. The lyrics start out like this:
Who is like You, Lord in all the earth?
Matchless love and beauty, endless worth
Nothing in this world can satisfy
Jesus, You’re the cup that won’t run dry
Your presence is heaven to me
It reminds me of the model prayer Jesus gave to His disciples. “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:8-10). Jesus said we could experience heaven on earth. In fact, He prayed we would.
What’s interesting is that the presence of God also humbles us. It reminds us who we are outside of Him– and this makes me love Him all the more. The creator of heaven and earth chose to send His Son to redeem and adopt us into His family. Despite our frailties, shortcomings, and sin, God wanted us as His own.
His presence is proof.
Paul shared this counsel with the Corinthian church and it still applies to us today: “Brothers and sisters, consider who you were when God called you to salvation. Not many of you were wise scholars by human standards, nor were many of you in positions of power. Not many of you were considered the elite when you answered God’s call. But God chose those whom the world considers foolish to shame those who think they are wise, and God chose the puny and powerless to shame the high and mighty. he chose the lowly, the laughable in the world’s eyes– nobodies– so that he would shame the somebodies. For he chose what is regarded as insignificant in order to supersede what is regarded as prominent, so that there would be no place for prideful boasting in God’s presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, TPT).
In other words, it’s in our humbleness that we experience the beautiful presence of God in our lives– a real taste of heaven.
God chose to shame, embarrass, confuse, baffle, and frustrate those who think they know more than Him. And yet, He also chose to use the lowly, laughable, and despised outcasts (of the world) to show His love and grace.
God said His presence would reside with those who humble themselves before Him.
“For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. And now he is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption. And this fulfills what is written: If anyone boasts, let him only boast in all that the Lord has done!” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
The pathway to His presence isn’t hard to find. As you pause, set your heart on Him, humble yourself, and reflect on His goodness, the presence of God will meet you every time– a taste of heaven on earth. His abiding presence can be tangible, but it’s also acknowledged by faith.
I pray you resist the busyness of life, or the accolades of man, and keep your heart and eyes on the One who loves you. His presence really is heaven.
