Ever-Present God

Many times in Scripture the Holy Spirit, through the writers of the Word, says not to fear; and the reason given for not fearing is that "the Lord is with you."

Fear is one of the most, if not the most, paralyzing emotion that we humans experience. It stops us in our tracks and keeps us from moving ahead into the fullness of knowing God and His ways.

So the promise that the Lord is with us is massive for our freedom from fear! And this promise is good for every situation where we encounter fear. If fear strikes my heart because of lack of finances, the realization that the Provider (Jehovah-jireh) has seen and known ahead of time what my need would be and that He is present with me always, brings peace and confidence to move forward in obedience even if I don't yet see the provision with my natural eyes. If fear strikes my heart because of a difficult family situation, pausing to recognize by faith that the Victorious One (Jehovah-Nissi) is with me in that moment, gives me the inner courage to walk with Him through the particular situation with anticipation of His intervention.

There is nothing that He cannot do!...and He is with me everywhere and always!

I often have my students pause and silently acknowledge in the moment that God in Christ is with them right then, no matter what's going on in their hearts and minds. Practicing His presence with us is an important spiritual discipline, because without a growing assurance and awareness that He is with us right now, right here, we cower in fear when faced with intimidating people or situations.

I'd like to urge you, if you don't already practice this, to begin to pause regularly throughout your day and simply thank Him for being with you in that very moment. It's the realization of His nearness that will gradually build confidence in you so that when fear strikes, your first thought is that you are not alone but He is with you. This brings to mind the scene in the Prince Caspian movie in which Lucy is approaching some intimidating enemies who are backing away from her in fear, not because she is strong, but because Aslan is walking right behind her, and they are terrified of him.

The emotion of fear doesn't necessarily go away, because we are always growing in trusting the Lord at new levels, but when we become more aware of His presence with us always, we are empowered to push through the emotions of fear and act in faith.

Jesus is called Emmanuel because God is with us and drew very near in His Son. May the grace to practice His presence rest on you mightily as this year transitions into a new year and may you find your heart strengthened to obey Him as you grow in awareness of His nearness. Only He is sufficient for what is coming to us in these urgent days before His return!

"...he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?'" Hebrews 13:5,6