Thought of Today

When it comes to prayer and/or ushering God's presence, the environment and atmosphere are two separate things. The church is an environment, you can be present there and still not experience God's presence even after much worship and this happens due to various reasons. However, when you are in a place within that really wants, hungers or yearns for God's presence and you put your focus and energy into that, that's when (for me) God's presence starts settling in filling me with serenity. This happens at home, church and even in a quiet bathroom because God's presence is not contained in a specific environment. One can be in church but focused on other things or the mind is deeply disturbed that even when the worshippers set the atmosphere for you, God's presence feels out of reach. Therefore, the environment is where you are in, the atmosphere is what you create. The environment is external and the atmosphere is internal/spiritual.