December | 2017 | Susie Stewart

There is joy
in Your presence, God

but not always
with people…

And I don’t want
my joy stolen

by difficult people
I come into contact with

when Divine joy
is mine for the taking

So I choose this day
to find joy in YOUR presence

while in the presence
of unpleasantness
hostility
rudeness
unkindness
hatred
obnoxiousness…

And I choose to set my focus
on the beauty
and the joy
and the gift

of Your presence,

my always-there
and undeniably loving
God

Thank You
for never leaving me

to fend for myself

And by the way,
God

please help me not be the one
whose presence steals another’s joy

-Susie Stewart

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.

-Psalm 16:11 (NLT)

You direct me on the path that leads to a beautiful life.
As I walk with You, the pleasures are never-ending,
and I know true joy and contentment.
– Psalm 16:11 (NOICE)

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
– Exodus 33:14 (NIV)

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!
I can never escape from Your Spirit!
    I can never get away from Your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, You are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there Your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—
     but even in darkness I cannot hide from You.
To You the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to You.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in Your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.
How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me!
– Psalm 139:7 (NLT)

Photo by Susie Stewart

Lately

I feel like I’ve had my fill

of the evil all around

It seems that the earth

is full of it

And I cry out to God!

Because in the midst

of all that evil

I long for my pure and spotless

God

He reminds me

that He is here

and that the earth

is not only full of evil

but the earth

IS FULL OF HIS GLORY

And I wake from my heavy stupor

of being overwhelmed

with darkness

and wake up to glory

in me

around me

and in His Christ-changed people

And I

hope

in the midst of it all

knowing

the end

to the story

where all that evil

is swallowed

by the fierce jaws

of love

and purity

– Susie Stewart

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.

– Isaiah 6:3 (NIV)

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

– Romans 8:6 (NLT)

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

– Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west And His glory from the rising of the sun. For He will come in like a narrow, rushing stream Which the breath of the Lord drives [overwhelming the enemy].

– Isaiah 59:19 (AMP)

Do not be overcome and conquered by evil, but overcome evil with good.

– Romans 12:21 (AMP)

Photo by Susie Stewart