Soaking in His Presence

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

The world we live in is full of noise and distraction. I feel it is urgent that we learn how to “Be still and know…” I long for each of us to know how to be still before the Lord and soak up His presence. I am convinced that it is the most important thing, the most beneficial. The earth is groaning for the revealing of the sons and daughters. We need sons and daughters who are fully alive and immersed in God’s love, which means we need to learn to live in His presence!

Soaking prayer is being still in the Presence of God. Although the body is at rest, the heart longs and yearns for the Lord. Soaking prayer is far from being passive. It is a dynamic thing to wait on Him with great expectation within. We may be sitting comfortably or lying down, but our heart is wide open, sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, ready to receive from the Father.

The heart is a container before God. The deeper we long for Him, the more we receive of Him. Let yours be an empty vessel ready to be filled with His fullness.

How do we soak?

There are practical steps that we can follow when soaking. Whether alone or with a group, the following steps are valuable:

Create a peaceful place.

Finding a place that is set up to be conducive and offers some kind of privacy and silence is the first practical starting point. It could be a particular area in your house, office, or living room, free from distractions. You can have soft music playing in the background. This could help get you into the flow and focus on Him. However, there are some people who would prefer complete silence. Choose what works best for you.

2. Quiet Down – Psalm 62:5 says, “My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him.”

Quiet down your heart and mind. This is not emptying your mind but filling it with longing and desires for God. The best way for me to focus and quiet down is to express my need and longing for Him. Sometimes I whisper a prayer, “Oh Father, I miss You, I thirst for You..” As I go deeper in my longings, I sense the Spirit of God taking over my thoughts and guiding me deeper into His Presence.

Quieting our hearts may not come automatically. But much like the way we develop our physical muscles, our spiritual muscles need constant exercise. Doing this again and again makes it easier.

Focus – Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple.”

Beauty in this verse means God’s delightfulness–His goodness. By the Holy Spirit, we gaze at the beauty (delightfulness) of the Father. This is an important point; setting our eyes on an angry face is hard.

Let me say that again–It is hard to set our eyes on an angry face.

Whenever we come to Him, we see His face shining with joy and love toward us. To gaze is to look intently and steadily. Remembering His loving kindness helps us to focus on His nearness. We become aware of His desire to be with us, His children.

Let your heart understand that HE delights in you, and He is filled with joy and anticipation to be with you! As you look intently upon one facet of His character, for example, goodness, He comes and saturates your whole being with a clear sense and awareness that He indeed is good.

Then you come to a state where you could really say you have tasted and seen His immeasurable goodness to you! Goodness will become alive inside of you! This experience is far deeper than any sermon or study of the Bible. This is what revelation is all about.

What you focus on will be magnified within you.

Like David seeing the universe, the stars, and the moon, in one of his meditations (Psalm 8), he came to realize the greatness of God, His glory, and His majesty. At that very moment, he came to a clear understanding of man’s value before the eyes of God.

The Almighty God has crowned him with glory and majesty and made him the ruler of His creation. David did not receive this revelation through mere study or scientific observation of God’s universe but through an experience of God’s presence and character displayed in His works and he was amazed!

Focusing on the Lord also means having an expectant heart for Him to come, much like a watchman waiting for the breaking of dawn. We focus our whole being with a deep sense of anticipation and excitement. We pay close attention in our spirit for whatever God has for us. The moment God shows up, we are ready to plunge into His presence and not let go of Him.

To focus on Him is to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. There will be times you will sense that your emotions, desires, joy and peace are being awakened as you allow Him to guide you deeper into the Presence of God. All these are the inner workings of the Holy Spirit. His Word becomes a living experience to us.

Longing and Seeking – Psalm 84:1-2 says, “How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord! My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.”

Deep calls unto deep, the psalmist wrote. Our hearts have the capacity to go deeper in desiring His Presence. David likened his yearning for God to a desert longing for water; let our hearts also desire God. The deeper we go in our desires and longings, the more depth He creates inside of us. The Spirit of God is our Teacher. He is the ‘paraclete,’ the one Who walks alongside us. He will lead us deeper into the realms of the Father’s Presence as we allow our hearts to be passionate in pursuing Him.

Respond to God – Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”

God’s presence comes in waves. Be sensitive to the flow of the Holy Spirit within you. Watch out for impressions rising within your heart as the Spirit of God leads you deeper. What I like about soaking is this: it is never boring!

It is unpredictable yet exciting, to say the least, it is a journey! As our hearts and thoughts focus on Him, our whole being responds to Him–our emotions, desires, creativity, passion, faith, and dreams are awakened. Joy, peace, and love also fill our hearts.

As you go deeper into His Presence, the Lord also reveals His heart to you. The Lord comes to us in different measures, tones and modes. He may come in a quiet whisper. Or He will paint a picture in your mind that would startle you or trigger thoughts and emotions that would release joy unspeakable. At other times you will see His face, or the heavenly realms, or angels. Sometimes He overwhelms you with His love, flowing like a liquid fire into your being, consuming fears, doubts, limitations, rejections, and shame, and making you free. Praise God!

There will be times you will feel deep peace, or His glory will come like a weighty substance that covers your entire body. Your senses become so sensitive in His Presence.

It is true; you are more alive in His Presence.

Selah!

Interested in learning more about this topic? You can purchase Leif Hetland and Paul Yadao’s Soaking in God’s Presence eBook in our shop by clicking here.

Check out my YouTube channel here for free resources!

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