A Scoop of His Presence

Thirty plus years ago, a friend told me a story about a woman, Carol, who entered a Häagen-Dazs store in Santa Fe to buy an ice-cream cone. After she’d ordered and picked up her ice cream cone, she was turning around to leave. She looked up to find herself staring straight into the face of Paul Newman, the famous actor who was in town filming a movie. He smiled and said “hello.” His blue eyes were even bluer in person, which made her knees buckle as she floundered. She then quickly walked out of the store. She regained her composure outside, but she realized she didn’t have her cone in her hand, so she turned around to go back inside to get her cone and met Newman again who was then coming out.

“Are you looking for your ice cream?” he asked her.

Still stunned, she simply nodded.

“You put it in your purse with your change.”

A simple celebrity flustered her and made her forget what she was doing! Why? She had always enjoyed him as an actor. She had thought he was handsome. She daydreamed about meeting him. Because of those things, she was in awe of him to some degree. She had an interaction with him and it changed her day. What made her experience with Paul Newman so special? She got to “experience” his presence that she had only dreamed of.

How do we respond with such awe at a man who is only as human as us? How do we give more awe to a human than to God? Do we see celebrities as more than they really are? We seem obsessed with them and drawn into their lives. We appear to be worshiping who God created instead of the Creator Himself. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things.“ Rev. 4:11 It is misplaced awe, reverence, worship …. All things designed for God, not for humans.

How many of us have experienced God and go on with our lives like nothing happened? Have we become complacent or has our awe become a little misplaced? Are we satisfied with a minimum amount of God? It would be good if we would live in a constant awareness of God’s presence in our lives because He IS always with us. God is omnipresent. “Yet I am always with you.” Psalm 73:23

To experience God, it’s important to spend time in His presence. When was the last time you spent time in His presence? When was the last time you had an “experience” with God? I’m asking a lot of questions not to make anyone feel guilty, but because these are questions I’m asking myself this year.

For the sake of this blog, I’m equating God with ice cream. Ice cream is a dessert that I think most everyone loves. Last time I “experienced” ice cream, it left me wanting more because it’s so good! When was the last time the presence of God left you wanting more?

When life is hard, we tend to use ice cream to shift our focus from something not so good to something really good. It soothes us and we feel better. Psychologists say ice cream soothes you and at the same time, it stimulates you. When was the last time ice cream made you forget the bad? When was the last time the presence of God made you forget the bad or what you were doing? Our presence with God should always leave us wanting more even after leaving our prayer closet or the sanctuary. It should cause us to forget the bad for a time and focus on the good. It should soothe you; yet, stimulate you.

Ice Cream will leave you satisfied but after a bit, it will leave you just a little thirsty. When I have spent time with God, it satisfies but it still leaves me a little thirsty for more of Him. “Jesus stood and cried, saying ‘If any man thirsts, let him come unto me.’” John 7:37 Don’t ignore your hunger for ice cream or your thirst afterwards.

No time spent with anyone on earth is as satisfying as time spent in the presence of God. No matter how good it felt for Carol to see Paul Newman, that experience would never leave her satisfied.

Ice cream should be for every day because every day is an occasion to celebrate. In Psalm 16:11, David experiences the joy the joy of the Lord when he is in God‘s presence and chooses to celebrate it. “…you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Eating ice cream is a religious experience! “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Psalm 34:8 Take a big scoop of His presence and savor it!