Was it the voice of the Lord, or merely my weariness of cold toes, that beckoned me to flee the frosty Colorado fortress this week? Regardless, my soul cried out for yet another Breakfast on the Beach experience with my Jesus. Gladly, I answered the call to meet Him on the shores of San Clemente. It is always my delight to bask in the presence of the Lord. My hungry heart is nourished once again. His Word is washing over me as surely as the cool Southern California waves lap at my feet. His unfailing love pours over me as the sun drenches me in bright beams all around.
Silence is broken only by steady rhythm of crashing waves and a repeating refrain of seagulls singing while dancing just above the waters. It is God’s music to me in this moment and I picture Him dancing over me with JOY. I am His Beloved. He is passionate for me and He is calling me to dance with Him. I rise to my feet, toes sinking into the sun baked sand. We spin and sway to the melodic movement of the ocean’s song. It is sublime. 
As glorious as this precious moment is, I am suddenly struck with the reality of what it means to pray without ceasing, to praise in ALL things. Quietly, I begin to confess,
I do not need the ocean to begin to praise You, Lord.
I do not need a beach to come and dine.
I don’t require sunshine to rejoice in You.
I dare not wait to feel sand beneath my feet before we dance.
I am created for worship, no matter where I am or what’s happening in my life.
I am created for worship and YOU alone are worthy.
“Where shall I go from thy Spirit? Or where shall I flee from thy presence?…If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, YOU are there…” Psm 139: 7 & 9
His unfailing love envelopes me in all places. His presence never leaves me. In the blistery cold of Colorado. In the radiant beams of the California sunshine. In the stuffy small aircraft floating above the firmament between the two, God is WITH ME. He is Immanuel, “God with us”.
It’s easy to feel Him with me in the sunshine. Certainly He is here on the beach. But also he is near in the darkness, in the quiet, in the shadows. In the busy places…the airports, the office, the laundry room…God is near. On the go…in traffic, on the runway, in the subway…God is near. In the uncertainty of a doctor’s office or the unemployment line, God is with me. In the stillness of a prayer closet, He is there. Ever present, He never leaves me.
For years I have read the Scripture, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psm. 46:10 It’s been the very reason I make it a regular practice to get away for personal retreats alone with my Lord…so I can be still. Somehow in my mind I conjured up this image that by coming away to time alone with Jesus, He will find me and begin to speak. But that is a false image made obvious to me as I meditate on the next verse… “The Lord of hosts is with us,” {46:11}. Jesus does not need to find me because He never leaves me…the Lord of Hosts is with me! And He never stops speaking. It is I who must be still long enough to realize that He is speaking, to listen to what He is saying. And it is in the listening that I learn anew what His purpose is for my life…
He is calling me to an awareness of His Holy presence that I, being mindful of His constancy, may worship him wherever life finds me.
“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; he is also to be feared among all gods. Glory and honor are in his presence, strength and gladness are in his place…give unto the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” I Chronicles 16: 25, 27, 29
I am a musical instrument to be played in the presence of the Most Holy God, where music and dancing never cease. To worship Him is the answer to the age old question “why am I here?” It is the essence of who I am.
I am a worshipper. 
Livin4Jesus 