The Presence
By Joan Walker Hahn
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV
So many things in our daily lives have been affected by the coronavirus. We have had to endure quarantines, restricted access to restaurants and shopping, and limited social gatherings. Zoom has become a common occurrence and even considered as a normal form of meeting. Sporting events have been cancelled or played without fans. Even live TV shows have resorted to virtual audiences.
As I watched one sporting event on TV, it was obvious that they were playing crowd noise even though there was no crowd there. It seems that playing crowd noise will help the players perform better. It’s the unseen presence that makes them feel like people are cheering them on.
As a true believer in Christ, we often feel like we are standing alone against this world. Society often mocks our beliefs and ridicules the stands we take against immoral behavior. God knew and even warned us that we would have trouble and not be accepted by this world. Which is why Christ promised we would never be alone.
If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. John 14:15-21 NKJV
The Holy Spirit living within us is an assurance that we belong to God. And because of that, even if we have to take a stand alone in this life, God is still with us. He’s that ever-present source of comfort and strength. He’s that peace we feel when there’s chaos all around. He’s the encouragement we need to keep on keeping on in spite of our flesh wanting to give up. He’s the ultimate cheerleader, giving us that extra surge of adrenaline to face the next play in the game of life. He’s that “crowd noise,” but delivering in a whisper to our spirit, “Don’t give up. You got this!” He’s the unseen Presence we need.
When you start to feel like you are all alone, remember the promise of Christ. He will never leave us or forsake us. And through the presence of the Holy Spirit, He will guide us through every situation we face.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Presence in my life. Thank You for Your promise to never leave me alone or on my own. Help me to live daily allowing Your Presence to fully control my every thought, word and action. Help me to share with others the truth of the love of Christ and how You can be ever present with them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For more encouragement, visit Joan at joanwalkerhahn.com.
© 2020 by Joan Walker Hahn. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Wednesday, 21 October 2020.
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