Peace in Presence
MAMA
by Kati Roberts
“Mama, will you stay right by me aaaall day?” Lincoln, my 6 year old son, said to me with his arms wrapped around my neck.
My constant presence has been particularly sweet for him during this quarantine. Before the world skidded to a stop, he had been going to full day kindergarten, never apart from me that much before. Even this late in the school year, he was still struggling with the responsibility to deal with the unknowns of his day without the security of his mama right there to help him.
Being humans, we don’t know the future and, try as we might, we don't know how our story is going to play out. When our world gets rocked by trials, it highlights for us the lack of control we have over our lives. This uncertainty plays on our fears. Rather than allowing the uncertainty to rule our thoughts, we must allow what is certain to rule us. We can be certain of the character of God. He is ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and He does not forsake us. He is so good and He loves us completely. Those aren’t just some things He feels or does sometimes, but they are who He is. He completely embodies all the goodness that we could ever imagine.
And that God is the one who says to us, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” He has promised to stay right by us aaaaall day.
The Israelites had to remind themselves of that fact also. In the book of Nehemiah, the leaders of Israel recount to them the faithfulness of the Lord throughout their history. After rehearsing the story of God’s great rescue from Egypt the Levites proclaim, “By a pillar of cloud you led them in the day, and by a pillar of fire in the night, to light for them the way in which they should go” (Nehemiah 9:12).
These supernatural pillars were such a vivid visual of God’s constant presence throughout their days and nights. These wonders were always visible from wherever they were in the camp. They could look to them and find comfort with the Lord’s promise of His presence at any moment. He put His presence in the midst of their camp to be a constant reminder that He was leading them, He knew where they were and where they were going. Every time they caught a glimpse of that cloud they would be reminded of His nearness and that He was leading them. Every time they saw the glow or felt the warmth of the fire they would be reminded that He was close by, even in the dark. The Lord offered His very presence so that they could rest, even in the midst of a scary uncertain time. They could have the peace that comes from having someone bigger, stronger and smarter to guide and manage their new journey into uncharted territory. Their only job was to follow; they didn’t have to figure any of it out for themselves, they could simply rest in His presence.
In Ephesians 2:14 it says because of the blood of Jesus we have been brought near to God, “for He himself is our peace.”
His presence is peace, it’s ours to look at and be comforted from wherever we are. That presence is our certainty in a world of swirling uncertainties. We can have peace because He has given us Himself and in Him we can rest. Rest from our worries, rest from our attempts to guide our own path, rest from having to carry our own burden. We have His presence as a constant in our lives. We have access to that peace whenever we start to waver or worry. He has made all that He is available to us, He himself is our peace. We can be reminded that He is leading us, He knows where we are, and He knows where we are going. We can be assured every time we call out to Him that He is there, and He will not forsake us. We may not know where our “travels” are taking us, and we may not know what the future holds, but we do know that He is God and He loves us. We can be certain He is good and He is taking us to a good place. We can have peace immediately because He himself is with us right where we are. He has a specific plan and destination in mind even though we don’t know what that might be. He offers His warmth and light to us as we go, in the midst of our uncertainty.
At the end of that day, as I tuck in that very same boy who is now overtired and very cranky, he finally settled down when he pulled me in close for a hug and asked me, “Will you scratch my back?” Mama’s presence was able to calm his raging heart. God is able to calm our raging hearts, our weary souls, our worried minds simply with His presence. Look to Him today as often as you need knowing He is there, always. He is a constant certainty in our lives of constant uncertainty.
1ST THURSDAY CONNECT
Though we can’t yet meet in person, we can still connect in other ways for encouragement and teaching from God’s Word! 1st Thursday Connect will look a little different, but we plan to meet in May—on Zoom. We will have fun, see faces and smiles, learn from Philippians, and start Ephesians for the month of May. Will you make a cup of tea and join us?
1st Thursday Connect, May 7th at 7 PM
Join the Zoom meeting with this link: bit.ly/1stThursdayConnect
Or call in at 971-247-1195 with this meeting ID: 994-2642-0285
Join with video and audio if possible
Start signing in at 6:45 to work out any technical issues and get settled
For technical assistance, contact Elaine at 503-314-4107
LINKS
In each newsletter, we try to include links to articles or books or music that might be of interest or help on various topics. Enjoy!
As the Foolish Women Speak by Julie Gossack—a monologue on Job from the perspective of his wife, written and performed by Julie.
Floodplain by Sara Groves—a beautiful album.
Jesus Loves Me This I Know @the corner shelf—truth for every heart.
(Resources are curated but may not always reflect the views of New Life Church.)