A People Who Desire God’s Presence

There is a deep cry in my heart in this season, one that I cannot ignore and honestly don’t want to silence.

More than programs.

More than growth.

More than influence or activity.

I want God’s presence.

And not just for myself. I want it for our families, for our leaders, for our spiritual sons and daughters, and for our entire community. I want our church and our city to become a people who desire the presence of God more than anything else.

This is the heart behind the mission of the Jesus Center.

We believe the church was never meant to be something people simply attend once a week. The Church is meant to be a living, breathing people who walk with God every single day. That is why our mission is simple but deeply transformational:

“We exist to take people from going to church weekly, to being the church daily.”

This kind of life is only possible when we prioritize the presence of God. When we truly desire Him, everything else begins to align. Our decisions change. Our priorities shift. Our hearts become sensitive to His voice.

---

A Hunger for God

King David captured this longing beautifully when he wrote:

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.”Psalm 27:4

David was a king, a warrior, and a leader with tremendous responsibility. Yet he reduced the focus of his life down to one thing… to dwell with God and behold His beauty!

That is the kind of hunger I believe God wants to awaken in His people again.

Throughout Scripture, the pursuit of God is often described as hunger and thirst. The psalmist writes:

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”Psalm 42:1–2

This imagery is powerful. When a deer is desperate for water, nothing else satisfies its thirst. In the same way, our souls were created to long for God Himself, not just for religion, activity, or knowledge, but for real relationship and encounter with the living God.

---

The Value of God's Presence

Moses understood the value of God’s presence as well. When the Lord told Israel to continue their journey, Moses responded with these striking words:

“If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”Exodus 33:15

Moses knew that without God’s presence, even the promised land would mean nothing. What makes the people of God distinct is not buildings, gatherings, or programs. It is the presence of the Lord among them.

Scripture tells us:

“In Your presence is fullness of joy.”Psalm 16:11

Everything our hearts truly need is found in Him. He is the cure!

---

Cultivating a Daily Life with God

This is why the vision of the Jesus Center is not simply about gathering people together on Sundays. Our desire is to help people cultivate a daily life with God. We want to equip believers to walk with Him personally and consistently so that faith is not confined to a weekly gathering but becomes the rhythm of everyday life.

We express this through three simple practices that help anchor our lives in God’s presence:

Daily Word

Daily Worship

Daily Witness

When we engage the Word daily, we allow God to shape our thinking and reveal His heart to us. When we worship daily, we cultivate a posture of surrender and intimacy with Him. And when we witness daily, we become living testimonies of His goodness to the world around us.

This rhythm helps transform believers from spectators of church into participants in the mission of God. It moves us from simply attending church weekly to truly being the Church daily.

---

A Question for God's People

But at the center of all of this is one question that I believe the Lord is asking His people:

“Who is truly hungry for more of Me?”

God promises something beautiful to those who seek Him.

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”Jeremiah 29:13

And in James we read:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”James 4:8

God is not distant from those who pursue Him. He responds to hunger. He reveals Himself to those who desire Him.

---

A Hungry Bride

My heart’s desire in this season is to pour out everything the Lord has entrusted to me to help cultivate a healthy, hungry Bride of Christ. A people who love His Word, who walk in obedience, who listen to the Holy Spirit, and who value the presence of God above everything else.

I believe that when a community truly begins to pursue God like this, transformation follows. Families change. Hearts soften. Leaders are refined. And cities begin to experience the ripple effect of a people who carry the presence of God into their homes, workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods.

---

Seeking Him Continually

My prayer for our church and for our city is that we would become a people who live out the words of Psalm 105:4:

“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.”

May we become a people who wake up seeking Him. A people who build our lives around His presence. A people who desire Him more than anything this world can offer.

And as we do, I believe God will raise up a hungry, Spirit-led people who walk closely with Him and carry His presence everywhere they go.

Pastor Sarah Bell