BE STILL.
BE NEAR.
BE RESTED
IN HIS PRESENCE.
Scripture
“In Your presence
PSALM 16:11 (NKJV)
is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand
are pleasures forevermore.”
“My Presence will go with you,
EXODUS 33:14 (NKJV)
and I will give you rest.”
Lyrics (excerpt)
While the world is sleeping
You are here within
In Your holy presence
I have everything
Draw me ever nearer
Keep me close to You
I will rest in You
The Story Behind the Song
In Your Presence is a quiet prayer of longing to remain close to Jesus.
There are times when the world becomes quiet, the noise settles, and we become more aware of Him. The line, “While the world is sleeping, You are here within,” carries that sense of being alone with the Lord when everything else has become still.
David wrote:
“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.”
PSALM 63:6 (NKJV)
There is something precious about those quiet moments with God. We do not have to perform, explain ourselves, or bring anything impressive to Him. We simply come.
The heart of this song is found in the words, “In Your holy presence I have everything.” That does not mean we will never have needs, questions, grief, or difficult seasons. It means that when we have Him, we have the One our hearts were made for.
David understood this when he wrote:
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord.”
PSALM 27:4 (NKJV)
More than answers, more than circumstances changing, there is a longing simply to be near Him. “Draw me ever nearer. Keep me close to You.” This is the prayer running through the song.
God said to Moses:
“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
EXODUS 33:14 (NKJV)
That is what In Your Presence is about for me: drawing near, becoming still, and resting in the One who is already there.
Dwelling in His Presence
Scripture does not speak of God’s presence as something we only visit occasionally. It is an invitation to remain. As we learn to abide in Him (John 15:4), we discover that His presence brings peace, joy, strength, and rest — in every season, and in the ordinary as well as the quiet.
Pause and Reflect
- What tends to pull my attention away from simply being with Jesus?
- Do I come into His presence only when I need an answer, or am I learning to remain with Him?
- Where might the Lord be inviting me to become still and rest in Him?
A Prayer
Jesus, draw me nearer to You.
Quiet the noise around me and within me. Teach me to remain in Your presence, not only when I need something, but because You are the One my heart desires.
Keep me close to You. In Your presence, let my heart find its rest. Amen.