He is With us. Always.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

Sometimes we perceive God is with us.  We feel his presence.  We get those shivery goosebumps from the spiritual vibe in the room.  We sense his glory.  There is a tangible experience of Someone Other than us, with us.

Sometimes we just know God is with us because of the promise in Matthew 28:20 when Jesus says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  We believe He is with us, because He said He would be.

Sometimes His presence brings comfort.  We feel safe and secure because He is with us.  We are more bold and more brave, because we know we are not alone.

Sometimes His presence brings conviction.  We realize that we are naked before him.  None of our hidden deeds are hidden from him!  We see our sin as he sees it.  We are mortified; undone.  We want to run from him, but we want to run to him at once!  We don’t know what we want, we just don’t like how we feel when we realize He sees all. We must repent of our unrighteousness so that, once again, we can enjoy his presence.

When we are uncomfortable, in our heart, mind, soul, spirit, it is a likely indication that we are not in right relationship with God.  It is a sign that we should ask God, with the psalmist David, to look at us and “see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”  Psalm 139:24.

We have confidence, based on Bible truth, that the Lord will always go with us.  In Exodus 33:14, The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you; and I will give you rest.”

Just as he assured the Israelites that they could stand up to an army greater than their own, God assures us that we can stand up to the enemies that are facing us:  Deut 20:1, “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.”  God also promises us that He will miraculously protect us when we walk with him:  “when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isa 43:2).  We should be confident to walk through our life in God’s presence because He is present.  All things are under His control and authority.  Nothing will happen to us that He has not allowed to happen.  His ways are beyond our ways, so even when we don’t understand what He does or wills, we can trust Him.  And we know that ultimately, He’s got us!  We are not alone, and we do not need to be afraid.

Christian fellowship is one of the best gifts that God gives us in our walk through life.  When we journey alongside others who are walking in faith, we are encouraged to keep going, keep growing.  We are inspired to keep praying and trusting and hoping.  And we need one another.  God has promised us that He will be with us when we come together to call upon Him!  Mt 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Our prayer should be that we live more aware of His presence, ready to follow His lead and respond to the opportunities that He puts in our path.  And we should embrace every chance we are given to come together in God’s name and build one another up.

There is no guarantee of tomorrow.  We need to make the most of today.  We need to abide faithfully in God’s presence and live our lives in His light.