What if we believed, to our core, that God is always with us? Not in some abstract way, but in the reach out and touch Him kind of way. What if His “Thereness” was our reality and we, the ordinary, understood the very real, very tangible Presence of the Extraordinary? Imagine truly grasping the ever-Presence that is the I AM.
His Word is clear. He is with us – ALWAYS. He will not leave us or forsake us. Just as surely as every person we cross paths with today, God is there. So what if, rather than having that be a concept we know, it was a reality we lived? What if?
Part of “what if” for me would probably include keeping a much closer watch over the words that fall out of my mouth. I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t allow them to just “fall out” but would take great care to fill them with grace so the King at my side would be proud to call me friend.
- He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend. Proverbs 22:11
And I probably would use my time more wisely than I normally do. I can’t imagine frittering away the hours watching HGTV, rooting for the House Hunters to pick the home that stayed in their budget, if I really grabbed a hold of the truth that God is sitting with me on the couch. I have to wonder if He might be thinking that I was squandering the day He had entrusted to me very foolishly. Given all He has accomplished, it’s hard for me to picture Him as content just idling away the hours with no purpose. Yes, part of my “what if” would definitely include a wiser use of my time so His Majesty might delight in me.
- A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant arouses his fury. Proverbs 14:35
Those are just a couple of the observable “what if” changes. The real “what ifs” would take place on the inside because I cannot fathom subjecting my HOLY God to some of the thoughts that fly through my mind. Would I really feel jealous of anyone else in the world and stomp my foot about what they have that I don’t, if I realized the WHO that I am blessed with? What in the world could be of greater value than Him? Would I honestly usurp His right to judge by silently evaluating the actions of others if I actually believed that the One and Only Lawgiver was there? I could go on listing the things I struggle with and posing the questions about how they might change, but for me, and maybe for you too, all the questions boil down to just one:
Would we change if we believed in His absolute “Thereness”?
I am convinced that for all of us the answer is absolutely YES! I have moments when I am acutely aware of His Presence and I’m certain you do too. Times when the facts and the feelings of our faith converge and our souls fall into a holy hush that whispers, “He is here.” We don’t try to negotiate the agenda of the day; we follow the still, small, Voice wherever and to whomever He leads. We stride with confidence knowing that every step is falling inside the well-worn footprints of our Holy Trailblazer. And we are unafraid because we are certain of His all-encompassing Love surrounding us on every side. That’s the Truth of Him you know? The I AM is present.
He leads the way knocking down the obstacles and challenges that rise up before you.
- I will go before you and will level the mountains – Isaiah 45:2
He stands firmly on your right and on your left setting your feet on solid ground and lifting your eyes toward Him.
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But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high. – Psalm 3:3
And the Lord Himself has promised you Sweet One, that He has your back.
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Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. – Isaiah 58:8
That is the real-time, real-world truth of it. He goes before us. He is on every side. And His glory is our rear guard. We are, without a doubt, wrapped in His “Thereness.” No part of our faith journey escapes His attention or His affection. And while we may be limited to simply glimpsing glory for now, His vision toward us is totally unobstructed. His love for us is unconstrained. And His “Thereness” is unchanging. Sisters, we may long for the day when see the truth of our circumstances clearly, but in the meantime, I pray we will embrace the reality of our here and now because He is Here and He is Good.
We don’t yet see things clearly.
We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.
But it won’t be long before the weather clears
and the sun shines bright!
We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us,
knowing him directly just as he knows us!
The Message: The goal of The Message is to engage people in the reading process and help them understand what they read. This is not a study Bible, but rather “”a reading Bible.”” The verse numbers, which are not in the original documents, have been left out of the print version to facilitate easy and enjoyable reading. The original books of the Bible were not written in formal language. The Message tries to recapture the Word in the words we use today.
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