I Love To Be in Your Presence

Ed Kerr & Paul Baloche

I love to be in Your presence, with Your people singing praises.

Last Sunday, our congregation safely gathered outdoors to praise God through song for the first time since March. It felt so good to be able to sing with others again! I’m always singing and playing music at home by myself, but there’s something about singing with other Christians that is so encouraging and powerful. In fact, the Apostle Paul encourages us to be “speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,” and to “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). And so, on Sunday, we did just that.

Today’s Selah Saturday song is a throwback to the 90s called, “I Love to Be in Your Presence.” In fact, I think this was the first song I ever lead a congregation in singing! When my sister and I were little, my dad (who is a worship leader), let us sing this during Praise Time (that’s what we call the part of the service when we sing contemporary worship music). So technically, I guess that was my first gig as a worship leader.

Anyways…enough going down memory lane. “I Love to Be in Your Presence,” is a fun, upbeat song and easy to sing. Though the lyrics may be short and simple, they reflect how I felt on Sunday singing with my church family. I love being in the presence of God, worshiping alongside his people, singing his praises. I love stretching out my hands to the Father, and I love raising my voice so all of Edison can hear me. God gives us so many reasons to rejoice that cause our hearts to fill with song and get our feet a’ dancing, even in the middle of hardship.

When Christians gather to worship the Lord with one another, that is known as corporate worship. The corporate worship that we are experiencing now reflects what worship will be like in heaven—the gathering of all people from every nation, tribe, and language congregating before the Lamb of God, worshiping him (Revelation 7:9). Though, I expect that our worship will be much greater and more glorious when we are in the presence of God in heaven. My mom once said that there are so many questions she would like to ask God, but that when she actually gets to heaven and sees the Lord in all his glory, she will be too busy worshiping him to ask any questions.

Next time we come together as a church for worship, let us revel in God’s presence. Let us remember his goodness, his mercy, his grace, his faithfulness, and his love. Let us worship him for all of these and for the many blessings he has given on us. And don’t be afraid to dance and shout for joy if the Spirit so moves you!

Click to listen to “I Love to Be in Your Presence.”

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25