The Power in Presence

Hi all! Sorry I have been horrible about posting recently, things have been crazy lately! I got to Kenya safely and have been here for almost a week now. Thanks so much for your prayers, things are going great here.

Last year, after being in Kenya for seven months, the hardest person to say goodbye to was a little 10 year old girl from the slums named Lucy. Since I last left Kenya not a day has gone by where I had not thought about and prayed for Lucy. She heard rumor I was coming back and waited at my gate for three days in the rain before I arrived, she was by far the person I was most excited to see in Kenya. I couldn't wait to hear stories about her new school and how her family is doing, we had so many things to catch up on. Once we had hugged and had seen each other for the first time we sat down, for what I thought would be a time of conversation and catch up. For maybe 10 minutes we sat silent, yet we were both completely satisfied just to be in each others presence. Looking back on this specific moment it shows me how much God longs to spend time with us, and be in relationship with us. Me longing to see Lucy after a few months, doesn't even compare to the love God has for us as His creation. God longs for us just to be in His presence, but how often do I actually stop and sit in the presence of the Lord?

This is what I feel God has been showing and teaching me over the past week here in Kenya, which goes right alongside last weeks devotional on solitude. While studying this section I have learned a lot about the power of silence and solitude, what it means, and how I can make the most of my time in the presence of the Lord.