God's Presence All Around Me

BY GAYLA WOOD

Sometimes when it's quiet and still and I can feel God's Presence All Around Me, I find myself suddenly looking through tear-sparkled eyes. The reason for the tears is that I find myself so grateful for the awareness of God in my life. The silent and shimmering tears say what my tongue cannot: that I am free because of Jesus, that this life with all of its frustrations is only temporary, that I am a child of God and possess an immortal soul.

For these things and so much more, I am overcome with the awareness of God’s Presence All Around Me. And so, as I sit here with soft lighting and Christian music playing in the background, I find myself called to share this moment with my Christian sisters.

God knew exactly what HE was doing when He said, “Be Still And Know That I AM God.” As I type, I have two things on my mind:

1. Women’s Prayer Breakfasts
2. The Vineyard Sisters Faith Conference in October

Please find your way to our Prayer Breakfasts. Our men at Woodland West have been having prayer breakfasts for a very long time. They know about the peace and power that comes from this time of prayer and they are encouraging the Woodland West women to do the same. Come to the prayer breakfast. Focus, pray, listen, eat, visit and leave blessed for having been a part of something bigger than yourself.

Speaking of something bigger than yourself . . . I need to just speak from my heart for a bit with you all.

The whispered notion of starting a faith conference right here in Arlington, right here at Woodland West, has become a reality. We didn’t do that. God did that! I am called right now to say a few things about the upcoming Vineyard Sisters conference . . . and if my typed words fail to convey my heart, then ladies, please listen with Your Hearts to find my meaning.

Somehow I need to tell you that, when you look up there and see me speaking, you need to look way past me and see those whom God sent to prepare me. I challenge you to see the ladies who are not the ones necessarily in the limelight. They are the structure. They are the strength. The speaker is not more important than the message. I may be the one speaking, but I urge you to see God’s handiwork in the situation. The women who are working to prepare the conference want you to know that we do this for God’s glory. We want you to See HIM in all that we do and say.

So on Saturday, October 18, while you are at the Vineyard Sisters conference, look around. See all the women who have put in hours of planning and preparation . . . who have set up tables, helped decorate and helped with food. See the ones who have faithfully prayed for this event and for you.

See them.
Acknowledge them.
Raise them up in prayer.

And while you are busy seeing them and all the connections between people here at Woodland West, I challenge you to examine your own life. See those who have supported you. See the ones who were there even when you didn’t know it.

When you do that, my prayer for you is that in the quietness and stillness of the moment, when YOU feel God’s Presence All Around You . . . that you find yourself suddenly “seeing through tear sparkled eyes" in response.

God Bless and Keep you.

In Him,
Gayla