Songs of His Presence

In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

(Psalm 16:11)

Christmas is a season of joy! It is about the presence of the Lord, so it MUST be about joy, because in His presence is fullness of joy. That’s why there are so many carols sung at this time of year. The word “carol” comes from kara, the Greek word for “joy.”

Isaiah prophesied of Messiah: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Matthew’s Gospel declares, “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23).

Jesus is “God with us.” Fully human, yet fully divine. He IS the presence of the Lord. As He said to His disciples, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

Joy is all about the presence of the LORD. If you need joy, the answer is simple — get into His presence. Get in His Word, the Scriptures, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the heart of the Father to you. An old rabbinic proverb says, “When two study Torah, there is the Shekinah.” In other words, when two get together to study the Word of God, the Glory-Presence of the LORD shows up.

So, get in the Word and let His presence begin to fill you. Then begin to lift up and exalt His name. The Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, and His salvation is nothing buy joy.

What is the name of the LORD, the name of salvation? It is JESUS! In Hebrew, His name is Yeshua, the word for “salvation.”

Sing the songs of joy, songs of His presence, the carols celebrating the birth of Christ, God with us. Press into His presence. He is there with you. He is at the malls and shopping centers. He is there in all the schools, secular and otherwise. He is there in all the office buildings downtown. Call out His name and give yourself completely to Him who gave Himself completely to you. There you will find Him, and He will fill you with the joy of His presence.