Living In the Presence of God

“She’s crazy!” Those are words that have been used to describe me, and usually by my kids. And now I will use those words to describe my aunt, someone who is very dear to me.

My Aunt Joyce was the first to give her life to Jesus Christ in our family. She began praying for me, and our family over 33 years ago. After a recent visit with her, being able to live with her for a week, I can honestly say she is crazy­—crazy for God.

Her craziness became evident within 15 minutes of her picking me up from the airport. She missed her off-ramp on the freeway and upon noticing, she slowed down, way down, almost stopping.  Then she prayed out loud thanking Jesus for safety and clear direction in bringing her back on course. When we arrived safely at our destination she thanked Him again.

And what was our destination? A Bible Study of course! Even though she is nearing 70 she goes with the gusto of a 20-year-old, praising Jesus all along the way.  Not only praising, but also laughing, too many times a day to even count. And if something challenging happens along the way, or she hears of something sad, she prays instantly about it giving it to the Father. And then she goes back to laughing.

When she can’t find her phone—or her glasses, or her keys, or her purse—she will simply pray, “Lord help me find my phone, glasses, keys, purse.” When found, a prayer of thanks immediately follows.

Any blessing that comes into her life at any point in her day, she thanks God for it—out loud—giving praise to her Savior often.

What would happen if you lived liked this? What would happen if every time a blessing or anything good crossed your path, you praised God for it and said a prayer of thanks? What would happen if every time you were presented with a challenge or sorrow you immediately asked God for help and then trusted Him to take care of it?

What would happen if you were CRAZY for Jesus?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The word crazy has an entirely new meaning for me now. I want to be crazy. I am going to strive to be crazy—crazy for Jesus.

If you want to learn how to live in the presence of God, visit with my aunt for a week.