Have you been taking time to sit with Jesus, allowing Him to speak a fresh word of love and encouragement into your heart?
I’ve always been taken with a phrase from Scripture, lifted from the life of King David, Israel’s sweet Psalmist (2 Sam. 23:1). After David had been established as King over the twelve tribes (2 Sam. 5:1-6), and had moved the Ark of God’s Presence to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:15), the city he had conquered from the Jebusites (2 Sam. 5:6-10), David set the Ark in a tent of worship (2 Sam. 7:2).
The phrase that has always struck and challenged me is this: “Then King David went in and sat before the LORD,” (2 Sam. 7:18).
How amazing, that David, the man known for moving forward and advancing the Kingdom of God, refuses to move forward with action or ambition, and instead, he does something profoundly simple yet deeply significant: he sits in God’s presence.
This posture of sitting reflects David’s humility and reverence. He doesn’t come with a list of requests or plans; he comes to listen, to ponder, and to praise. Of this act, Elisabeth Elliot writes, “To sit quietly before the LORD is to trust that His presence is enough. In that stillness, we find His word shaping our hearts.”
When we take time in His Presence, our heart becomes humbled by God’s grace, aware of its own smallness yet overwhelmed by His greatness. It is then that we hear His voice, coming not as information but as a transformative force that reorients our priorities and deepens our faith.
In our fast-paced world, we often treat time with Jesus as a checkbox — reading a quick verse or saying a hurried prayer. But Jesus invites us to linger, to sit at His feet like Mary did (Luke 10:38-429), choosing “the good part” of communion over distraction. When we pause to hear His word, we align our hearts with His purposes, just as David did.
I think often of those sitting before Jesus in His hometown synagogue (Luke 4:16). Before the community had hardened their hearts against Him (Luke 4:28-29), we are told, “And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:20b, 22a). These verses underscore the position we are called to as Disciples of Jesus – to fix our eyes on Him and receive the gracious words He has for each of us.
Beloved, join with me in committing to carve out time each day to sit with Jesus. In the quiet, His word will speak to our hearts, guiding us, comforting us, strengthening us, and reminding us of His steadfast love. It is then, like David, we will be taken and transformed by His presence, and we will discover that His presence is enough.
Grace and peace,
Jim
