Presence

“[Fear] not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Psalm 139 tells us that everywhere we go, God is present there. He fills this world. There is no escaping his presence. For this reason, from time to time we can take this promise of God being with us for granted. We may come to the logical conclusion that if God is in every space, then of course that includes the spaces that we are in.

But there is a difference between his omnipresence and his covenantal presence.

No matter where we are, God fills that space, but for those who believe in Christ, we have his presence in a unique way. Not only is he all around us but he lives within us by his Spirit. Everywhere we go we carry him with us and he carries us everywhere we go.

God has always promised to be with his people. All throughout biblical history he has been present with his people. In the Garden of Eden, in the Ark, with Abraham and his children, in the wilderness, with returning exiles, in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and now by his Holy Spirit. We are never alone or apart from him. Beyond that, there is no hidden place, whether within our hearts or around the world, that God cannot reach. The unreached people of the world can be reached by the grace, power and presence of God and the unreached places in our hearts can be reached and healed by him too.

Let us rest and trust in the promise of God’s loving presence with and around us.