Blog

Aug 14, 2025 06:00am

Your Trials as an Invitation into His Presence

279 Views

This week I had another health episode and spent a night in the hospital. I am fine, and they have given me some more medications to help, but these medications cause more fatigue and less strength. I have to say, it was discouraging and tempted me to quit right as we are on the edge of a new ministry initiative regarding training leaders in Presence Centered Leadership and life.

But the Lord met me with a fresh and thrilling personal promise today, as He has done throughout my life by His grace. God promised me that He will “strengthen me and protect (me) from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3), and He will “direct my heart into the love of God and into the steadfastness (perseverance) of Christ” (Vs. 5)

Spurgeon said this about 2 Thessalonians 3:5. Read it carefully.

“To be directed into the love of God is another thing from all that we can be told of it. A beautiful garden is before us. We look over the wall and are even allowed to stand at the door while one hand out to us baskets of golden apples. This is delightful. Who would not be glad to come so near as this to the garden of heavenly delights? Yet it is something more to be shown the door, to have the latch lifted, to see the gateway opened, and to be gently directed INTO the paradise of God. This is what is wanted—that we may be directed into the love of God. Oh, that we may feel something of it while we meditate on it. We come, when we are taught of the Spirit of God, to enter into the love of God by seeing its central importance. We see that the love of God is the source and center, fountain and foundation of all our salvation and of all else that we receive from God.”

Hallelujah! Spurgeon is speaking of entering in—being ushered into—the presence of God, which is pure love. Christ invites us in continually and fully. He calls us to enter in and commune with him (pray) without ceasing. We can live here … a Presence-centered life! What could possibly be more joyful, more satisfying than living in the Paradise of God’s presence!

God is allowing me to have one more physically debilitating experience where I will realize my weakness, but the sufficiency of His strength, protection, love, and the perseverance of Christ. Without these experiences and challenges, I’m afraid I would rarely turn in dependence to Him.

This last episode made me, once again, want to lay down and quit. I have no perseverance for it. But Christ, who endured the cross, despising the shame, has all perseverance, and He lives in me!

I can walk into a greater dimension of God’s love and a greater empowering of His perseverance and know more of Him and be equipped to give more of Him to others. There is no demand made upon my life that is not made on the Christ who lives within me! My infirmities are merely an invitation into His presence and fullness. I must daily rejoice and step into the greatest path … into Him!