God Is Always Present

Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 4:8, So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.

The Philistines, who really did not believe in the God of Israel, made a statement that reminds me of the fact that we often forget, as God’s children, that God is always present. Although they initially reacting with great fear, it was obvious from their choice to fight against Israel, that they did not have a true belief in the Lord. When we read this account, Israel made the same mistake that the Philistines made. Israel called for the Ark of the Covenant to be brought to them in the midst of this war, as if God had not already been present. The Philistines reacted in fear upon coming to know that the Ark was in the midst of the Israelites, as if God had not already been present. I would like to remind each and every one of us who already know the Lord that our God is always present, regardless of what the circumstances look like to us. We sometimes feel as if God is not watching or does not care that we are going to difficult times, but that is a lie from the pit of hell. God promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). There may be different reasons why we do not feel His presence, and the reason usually lies with our own tendencies to walk away from Him. The Word of God is very clear that our God is omnipresent. He is everywhere, and there is not one single detail in the entire universe that escapes Him or His knowledge of what is happening every second of every day. Jeremiah 23:23-24 tells us, “‘Am I a God near at hand,’ says the LORD, ‘And not a God afar off? 24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD.” I often hear Christians pray, as I used to pray, “Lord be with us as…” or “Lord by with so and so…” Then one day as I reading God’s Word and praying, the Lord reminded me, “I am always with you.” From that point forward I stopped praying, “Lord be with me…” Instead, I start my prayers with, “Lord, thank you for being with me and never forsaking me…” Israel made the grave mistake of thinking that they could summons God’s presence by bringing the Ark into their midst, not realizing that God was already there, He had simply chosen not to help them because of their existing sin against Him. Regardless of where we are in life or what we are walking through, God is always with us. Therefore, when we are walking through turbulent times, we must stop and examine the status of our relationship with Him. Although we can never lose our salvation in Christ (John 10:28-30; Romans 8:38-39), we can certainly hinder the Spirit working in our lives. We can grieve Him (Ephesians 4:25-32) and cause God to allow some heavy consequences for our refusal to live a life that honors Him. The devils do not want us to draw near to God, and they want to convince us that God has forsaken us. King David’s Psalm 139 is one of the best reminders that there is no place we can go to, or hide in, where God is not present. Meditate on Psalm 139:7-12, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Beloved, let us always be mindful of God’s presence in our lives. God has not, and will never, forsake His children.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).