Have you ever sensed the presence of God so acutely that you knew He was closer than your next breath – not abstractly – but literally – because you couldn’t breathe for the weight of His nearness in your chest?
Oh, I have.
And it’s beautiful.
“Right now, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re feeling, God is looking at you, passionately concerned about you. You have His undivided attention. Your past choices, the condition of your heart, the degree of your brokenness are no obstacle to relationship with Him. Because He is gentle and humble He invites us to come to Him. Every moment in the presence of God is an opportunity to have our eternal destiny shaped by what happens from this moment forward rather than by anything in our past. His grace is always greater than our ability to mess things up. The slightest exertion of His power or anger over sin would consume us. With exquisite tenderness He reaches out his hand to save us and to touch our lives in a way that will heal us and make us whole.”
-Philip Carlson, from his book You Were Made for Love