Hunting for His Presence!
How do you hunt for The King’s Presence?
Growing up in Africa, almost every child knows how to hunt for one thing or the other. We hunt for birds and some other creeping creatures for food, by setting snares for them and waiting no matter how long it takes to get them in our traps before we head on back to wherever we came from or were going. No one has to teach you how to set a snare for food because hunger will drive you to do that in some cases.
Carefully looking at the hunter and his strategy left me amazed at the technique he uses to catch whatever he is hunting. In our Christian Journey, I believe we can learn a lot from the hunter and apply it to our relationship with God and in waiting for His presence. The conclusion of whether we hunt for God’s presence or not depends on how hungry our souls are for spiritual food and how thirsty we are for His Living Waters. As the physical body needs natural food to grow and develop, so does our spirit needs spiritual food to grow.
One thing the hunter understands is patience and perseverance.
How much time do we give in waiting for God’s presence? How much are we willing to sacrifice in the waiting place of His presence without looking at our clocks? Do we give up after waiting for a while with no result, or do we hang in there and wait until He shows up? The hunter understands his prey so much so that he doesn’t mind spending time waiting to capture it.
However, God is not our prey, and He can never be one. I am only using this analogy to symbolise how we are to long for Him.
Some hunters know how they rely on their prey for food, so they will do whatever it takes, and wait for no matter how long, to catch their prey otherwise they will go home hungry with no meat or food for the day. How dependable are you on the Word and Presence of God? Do we see Him as food for our soul?
The rule of the game is patience because without it the hunter cannot catch his prey. If we are famished and know the type of food and satisfaction that comes from God’s revealed presence, then we will know how crucial it is to wait; otherwise, that hunger never gets filled.
The hunter stations himself at the right hideout, set his weapon ready, position himself in a way that will make him not miss his target. In our place of waiting and hunting for His presence, how well are we positioned? In our hideout areas, are we busy sleeping or are we awake and watching to catch His presence when He shows up? Your hideout spot should be your sanctuary, the place where you wait and seek His presence. This place should never be dormant, but rather filled with the aroma of praise and worship rising to God. A place prepared for HIM to come and manifest Himself. A place where He calls home.
A hunter has perfect listening ears when it comes to hunting. He can tell when his prey has walked pass a particular way by looking at the footprints on the ground, tell its size or how long ago it went through that road. As children of God, active and excellent listening skills heads the list when it comes to hearing from God, and understanding what the Holy Spirit is telling us regarding God’s presence and when He is going to visit or has visited a place. Looking at the aftermath of God’s visitation in any environment, we should be able to tell the weight of His demonstrated presence in that atmosphere.
Are you genuinely hungry for God’s Presence? If yes, then how are you hunting? Is it a once in a while thing or a daily pursuing? I find myself struggling to make it a daily lifestyle. Being tenacious in waiting and staying in that sanctuary has been a challenge. But the question is, ‘how hungry are we?’
How long have we been starving our spirit man but feeding the physical body?
I pray that God will pour out an overflowing of His Spirit upon us, and put in our hearts an unquenchable hunger for His presence every day.
Comments are welcome.
A Lady for my King 