A longing for the presence of God and a apathy in prayer

Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me

Exodus 33:15
And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.

Do we have a longing for the presence of jesus in our life

But do we have the cost to spend the time in prayer for that presence of God

I have such a longing for a deep longing for a greater knowing of the presence of God

Exodus 33:11
So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

Sometimes I find it frustrating as sometimes you can explain things to people but when jesus shows up , how I long for the presence of the lord even stronger than before

As if you long for the presence you will love your bible , you will read it , you will read every commentary on the scriptures

I think my heart screams for his presence like David and like Moses if you are not going with me I am not going and Joshua stayed in the presence of God

Where are the long prayer meetings where we don't leave until the presence of God comes

Why is there so much apathy in the church regarding the bible and the word of God

It is like we don't care , if I as a chef didn't care whether you got food poisoning or not and got you sick or if a doctor didn't care about you when you are on your death bed and let you die

How many pastors or Preachers or people just don't care anything about jesus anymore

I spend a lot of time in pursuit of intimacy. These verses below, however, have opened my eyes to a truth that is fundamental to intimacy. Most aren't focused here for intimacy. I'm not sure of the reason, but I will say that to have this intimacy with Jesus that we long for cost more than time and focus. It cost all. Jesus is outside the hearts of most not because of insufficient time spent in the mornings but because of a life spent mostly on self. Just note importantly from the text, that Jesus' own relationship and intimacy with the Father in love was founded in this truth.

John 15: 9-15.

"Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love.
"If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full

"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

"Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.
"You are My friends if you do what I command you.

Jhn 14:21

"The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

The walls that our self focused life have built between us and our brothers and sisters is the ceiling we have unknowingly built between ourselves and God. Intimacy sought without lives laid down for the family is, by these Scriptures above, not gonna happen. We do not remain in His love, we are not walking in fellowship in the light, we do not have communion and intimacy with Him apart from loving the brethren with our Monday through Saturday lives. Fitting Jesus into our daily life may be a problem with some. Fitting the brethren into our daily life is a problem for most. It may seem easier to add Him to our life in this world than it is to add the spiritual family into our daily life. One is done on the inside. The other is manifest outside in very obvious and manifest ways.

Paul prayed a lot of grand things for the churches in Ephesians, Colossians and Thessolonica. Not many are aware of why he prayed for those great blessing to come to those churches. Paul says he had warrant to pray for these things BECAUSE he had heard of their faith in Jesus and their love for ALL the Saints. He would not have the warrant to pray those apostolic prayers if those churches did not have in fact that reputation for faith and brotherly love.

Prayers for more intimacy apart from faith in Jesus and demonstrated love for all the Saints is not warranted by Scripture. Selfless humble hearts devoted to one another are the Scripturally good ground for intimacy with Jesus.

Brother Robert,
I believe that what you shared is what Jesus has called us to if we want to follow Him and be His disciples. Jesus gave us a commandment to keep that fulfills the law. The great commandment is to love God with all of our being, and Jesus also commanded us to love one another. Jesus said that if we love Him then we will keep His commandments. Do we love God for the gifts that He gives us or for who He is? At the heart of prayer is ministering to the Lord. We don’t come to God to ask Him to bless our plans, but we seek Him, inquiring of His Will, and then acting on our faith, obeying His commands.

Has our ministry to men replaced our
ministry to the Lord, being in the presence
of Jesus, seeking His face, and hearing His voice?

Brother Mike, I don't argue for a replacement of ministering to the Lord and being ministered to by Him. If that is how my post came across then I would like to correct that.

However, the Scriptures I gave are clear that abiding in, communing with and drawing close to Him happen and I would say most happen in our ministry to others. Failing to serve others will most Biblically affect our ability, not matter how much we desire or pursue Him, and His willingness to reveal Himself to us. IF you obey my commands, I will reveal myself to you are His words. IF you don't, He won't is the obvious implication.

Paul said likewise, that we will know Him in the greatest measure when we suffer with Him....... in His service and as His representative on earth.

We could spend years in a cave in pursuing Him and not get far at all. To be with Him we must go with Him. So to answer your inquiry, serving people isn't a substitute. As He told Mary, being in the room where Jesus is is the one necessary thing. When Jesus is in the living room.....be there. If He goes to help Martha in the kitchen, be there. If He is suffering in the Garden in prayer, be there. Being with Him is the key and He is beckoning us to be with Him on the mount and in the valley.

So, I think you have presented a false choice. The only thing I would add is the point made in the Scriptures. You can't say you know Him if you aren't loving the brethern with all His heart for them. 1 John 2:4. One day Jesus will say to those who call Him Lord Lord but don't obey His command to love the disciples as He loved them and thus prove they are His disciples is "depart from Me I never knew you".

I know you know these things and know Him so I'm speaking generally here. But I will say that many are deceived into thinking they have a growing relationship with Jesus and can attain to more but aren't WALKING in the light with Him because they aren't loving and serving the brethern especially and in the way He commands.

we have fellowship with the Father and the Son and one another when we walk in His light, in His life, in His love, especially in His love for His church. No walking in love....no fellowship.

"Brother Mike, I don't argue for a replacement of ministering to the Lord and being ministered to by Him. If that is how my post came across then I would like to correct that.”

Brother, I believe that you misunderstood what I was saying. We minister to the Lord, and He ministers to us through the many membered Body of Christ. It is not a choice of one or the other, it is both, but even ministry to one another should take place through our union and communion with the Vine. When we minister to the Lord, His presence is manifested, and the Body of Christ is blessed.

I think I agree with you. :).

My post is to address that fellowship with Jesus is a circle..... private and ministry fellowship in reality. It is not a straight line from private fellowship to ministry to others. That's hard to explain in a text writing.

I must say to many though, you cannot substitute private devotional time for being where Jesus is most of the time. That thought or concept is in fact the deception.

You can fully experience Jesus in fellowship with Him where He is working. People get dry not because they are not spending enough time in private fellowship. They get dry because they are not filled with the Spirit. We can get filled with the Spirit all day long when we walk with and keep in step with the Spirit and the Spirit is particularly busy with building His church. It we are given to and engaged in that work, we are vessels fitted for His filling, His use, and His fellowship. We share in the light, commune in the light and walk in the light when we are the light.