Being in God's presence, I believe, is the most beautiful, comforting, reassuring, joyful, loving place that you can be. If you've ever truly been in the presence of the Lord, you know exactly what I'm talking about. He can be felt when you least expect it. Of course you feel his presence at church, but you should be feeling is presence there. I've felt his presence at 2 am when I couldn't sleep, I knew he wanted me to open my bible and start reading. I've felt his presence in my car while simply driving down the road. I've felt his presence while doing the dishes. God will move at any time, any place, anywhere and I fully believe that our praise and worship opens the door for his presence.

Praise and worship can be very different for different people. Whether it be through prayer, your prayer language, lifting your hands, shouting, dancing, singing, jumping, there are so many different ways you can display your praise and worship. When I praise Him, I am thanking God for his undying love for me, for his mercies and his goodness. He gives us love, grace, peace, comfort, strength and the list only grows. When I praise Him, I like to reflect over where I've been, what I've done, things that I've gone through. I then look at where He's brought me now and I thank Him for it. He has so graciously picked me up out of the dark pit I was once in and stood me back up on my own two feet. He delivered me from my past, He was there when I felt like no one else was, He healed me from the pain I used to go through, those chains that once held me back from receiving and walking in everything He had for me are now broken, and I praise Him for it.

The Lord has been kind.

Worship goes a bit deeper than praise. The two go hand in hand, but when I worship God, I come to Him humbly, surrendering every part of myself and submitting to Him, you must worship Him in the spirit and in truth. In Worship, you thank Him simply for who He is, not what He's done for you. Worship is not just a pastime activity you only do on Sundays at church, you should be living it as a lifestyle everyday. To enter the entirety of your worship, you must praise God with everything there is inside of you. That is where the two come hand in hand. Worshipping God is you crying out to Him, displaying the love and deepest adoration that you have for Him just like He has for you.

One of my favorite things about praise and worship is that it gives you the opportunity to get so close to God. Any time I get to spend time with God are moments that I cherish so deeply. That's why praise and worship is so special for me and for so many other people. Getting caught up in his presence, when all you can feel is His spirit pouring into you. It's a time when you're fully able to open your heart up to Him, sing his praises and lift His name up. Being able to be in his presence and to feel his power is such an incredible feeling. Standing there hands lifted high, feeling his spirit surround you and the people around you, having his spirit touch your heart like you've never felt before, having it bring you to your knees or to tears, the feeling is truly better experienced than explained.

The next time you're in praise and worship, walk in with a fire. Walk into it excited, you have an opportunity to thank God and to worship Him for how great He is. That's a privilege that some people don't get. Walk in with a fire and a readiness to experience God like you never have before.

"Only in the act of praise and worship can a person learn to believe the goodness and greatness of the Lord."
-C.S Lewis