Presence-Infused Living
Prayer as Relationship with God
By Kim Butts
The life God intends each of us to live can only be fully experienced in Him, with Him, by Him, and through Him. This is the deepest possible relational intimacy that can ever be attained by a human on this earth.
How do believers grow towards such an amazing life with God on this side of heaven? By emulating the presence-infused life of Jesus. Even though Jesus was and is and always will be God, He walked out the life of God in the flesh so that we can do the same.
How did He know how to live an obedient life, and to say and do only what His Father taught Him?
Prayer! Even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ prayed to align Himself perfectly with the heart of His Father.
God-Directed Obedience
There are so many examples in Scripture of Jesus in prayer—whether by Himself early in the morning, late at night in the Garden of Gethsemane as He poured out His heartfelt sorrow, or in community with others as He blessed the loaves and fish so that His Father would receive the glory for multiplying them.
Jesus lived a life of God-directed obedience. Even the interruptions were holy and focused on the presence and glory of God. He knew that apart from His Father He could do nothing.
We should know that as well. And yet, the prayer lives of many of God’s own are not following His Son’s example.
If prayer was the relational connection of Jesus to His Father, how can we think we should do anything else to fully embrace and experience that same purpose-filled, powerful, and sweet presence? There is no other way to build an intimate relationship with God apart from communicating our deepest thoughts, desires, and needs for ourselves, other people, situations, and nations.
Prayer is developing an intimate rhythm of worship, opening our hearts to the Father, and learning to hear and recognize His voice as we listen to what He wants to say to us. Prayer is longing for Him, seeking Him, being silent before Him, and waiting on Him. It’s whispering, shouting, bowing, lifting our eyes and hands to Him.
In short, prayer is the deepest possible connection for intimacy with God in order to grow faith and build trust in His ability “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. . .” (Eph. 3:20).
Devil’s Derailment
The devil knows this well. He has and continues to do everything in his inferior power to damage, thwart, discourage, distract, and weaken the prayer lives of every believer from the beginning of time. He knows that prayer from the lips of believers defeats his evil plans. He knows that prayer strengthens and allows God’s people to bond with Him so that our hearts can become impenetrable to his schemes.
Therefore, he also knows that if he can derail our prayer lives, he can certainly take everything else—our joy, our peace, our strength, and our Kingdom purpose. In essence, he steals our life with God.
Because the devil has been quite successful in sidelining the prayer lives of God’s people, the current reality for many believers is often a distant or casual relationship rather a passionately committed intimacy.
Perhaps the very best way to keep our focus on God’s presence is through His Word! Because Jesus is the Word (John 1:1–2), we will grow and develop the deepest possible relationship with Jesus through praying His Word.
Cultivating Presence
Scripture tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If the Father tells us that something is His will for us, we should obey!
In Psalm 46:10, the psalmist says, “Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Word doesn’t say, “Be still and know, but only if you feel like it.” This is a direct command in Scripture! Cultivating His presence through prayer is how we grow our relationship with Jesus, who was and is and is to come.
What does it mean to live in His presence in a prayer-infused, Word-centered way? You can practice His presence by praying Scripture, listening to the Spirit, and then responding to His invitation. I’ve chosen some Scripture passages and prayers to help you practice cultivating presence with these simple instructions:
- Consider each of the statements and Scriptures about the presence of God and spend some time praying through each one. Thank the Father for His indwelling presence, using the Scriptures and written prayers to guide you. Ask Him to help you build a committed, presence-filled life!
- Spend time in quiet after each prayer, listening to the voice of the Spirit as God speaks in response. Consider having a pen and paper at the ready to write down what you sense He is saying to you. Don’t worry if you don’t “hear” anything specific. He is speaking through His Word directly to you.
Now practice saturating yourself with His presence through His Word by walking through each of the “presence principles.”
- His presence guides our lives and gives us fullness of joy. “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Ps. 16:11).Father, this is such an amazing promise! As I press into You, You will guide my life’s path. I can be filled with joy in Your presence and enjoy all the pleasures that come from Your hand. Help me to be a good listener so that You can make the way ahead known to me. Help my heart be open to receiving Your joy!
2. His presence gives us rest. “And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Ex. 33:14, nkjv).
Lord Jesus, as I lean into Your presence, Your Word says You will give me rest. Please help me to allow Your rest to give fresh life to our relationship through prayer. Help me to soak in the peace You provide when I slow down long enough to hear from Your heart.Show me how to be still and quiet so that You can bring healing, change my trajectory, or just allow me to hear Your beautiful voice telling me how much You love me.
3. His presence is always with us. “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
Thank You, Father, for this incredible promise that Your presence is continually with me all the days of my life. This gives me confidence to live each day growing closer to Your heart and deepening my love for You.
4. His presence is forever and keeps us from fear and discouragement.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deut. 31:8).
Father, it’s so easy in this culture to be afraid, anxious, and discouraged. Yet, Your Word says that You will go before us and be with us—always! May I be continually aware of Your presence so that whenever I struggle, I will remember that You are in control of my circumstances.
Thank You for promising to never leave nor forsake Your people!
5. Being in His presence means dwelling with Him. “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).
Beautiful Lord, my heart’s true home is in Your presence! Just as King David expressed that his greatest desire was a deeper relationship with You, I also long to see You with all that is in me.
Teach me how to dwell continually with You, worshiping You and beholding Your beauty and glory. May I seek You in all Your holiness every moment of every day.
6. Being in His presence means He is dwelling with me and with His people.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God’” (Rev. 21:3).
“For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (2 Cor. 6:16, nkjv).
Living God, how I love Your Word! It amazes me that I am Your temple and that You dwell in me, and all Your people, through Your Holy Spirit. Your presence is always with me. Help me to become more aware of this incredible reality.
Entering the Throne Room
Imagine yourself in the throne room of heaven, standing before the Father and Son. Read Revelation 4, out loud if you can. Next, soak in the reality that every time you pray, you enter that throne room.
This knowledge alone will change the way you pray. You may find that you toss your prayer list to the side and simply spend time in worship before the One who is worthy.
Bill Elliff, a pastor and national prayer leader, recently hosted a podcast about “The Presence-Centered Life” (onecry.com/podcast). He says, “Everything flows from the presence of God.”
Seeking and pressing into His presence will grow your love relationship with Him and change everything about your life of prayer. It will move your connection with God from the realm of intellectual knowledge (what you know about Him) to a deeply spiritual communion (what you experience with Him). Coming into His presence continually will become a delight rather than a duty to check off a list each day.
May presence-infused living become the reality of your relationship with God as You prayerfully seek to know Him more deeply.
KIM BUTTS is the cofounder of Harvest Prayer Ministries and now serves as the prayer director for OneCry. She is also the author of several books available through prayershop.org.