I Am With You

Originally written: February 27, 2021

This morning, I joined WholeLife Church online in a special 30 Days of Prayer. It took place at 6:00am. During this time, Pastor Andy asked that we ask God to give us “a soft, repentant heart.” This request felt especially meaningful, though I didn’t fully understand why in the moment, but I felt at peace as I prayed. I also noted the birds outside had woken up early and were chirping their praise, as well. Kneeling before God held purpose.

A little while later, my friend, William Earnhardt, posted on Facebook. He wrote: “‘But Elijah said, “I swear by the Lord Almighty, in Whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day. 1 Kings‬ ‭18:15‬ ‭NLT”‬‬ ‘How was Elijah standing in the Lord’s presence?’” Through several comments back and forth via a thread, William and I established God is always with us—even if we forget He’s there guiding and leading us through all circumstances. And, then I got the point God had been trying to get across. I only hear His voice when I have a soft, repentant heart. Otherwise, I miss it. All. The. Time. My spirit has to be willing to let God in before I can be still and abide in His presence.

My Bible reading seemed to have a similar theme during my morning devotions, as well: “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, Who is going before you, will fight for you, as He did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.’ In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 1:29-32 NIV

Wow! All these years later and not much has changed. I keep wanting to think, “But they saw God in the form of a cloud or fire and still didn’t believe or obey.” It really isn’t that different today, if you think about it. God shows Himself in very real ways; and, yet, we still easily forget how far He’s brought us or remember He’s still right beside us. Seeing God’s hand on our lives all revolves around one thing: our relationship with Him.

To tie everything together, God allowed a song to show up in my Facebook feed a little while later—“I’m with You/Be Still” by Israel Houghton, featuring Adrienne Houghton. The words captured me. I knew God had something special He wanted me to hear, so I stopped and listened: You are not alone. I am with you. Everywhere you go, I’m there. You don’t have to be afraid. I have always been the same. You are not alone. I am with you. Every whisper I can hear. It’s as close as breathing out My name. I’m aware of everything. You are not alone. I’m with you. So be still. Be still. I am Your peace. Be still.

PRAYER for TODAY: God, please draw us close to Your heart. Soften our spirit to want to stay in Your presence. Please fight for us so that we can rest in You. Thank you for the assurance of Your love and for always being with us. We love you and place our lives in your trustworthy hands. In Jesus name we pray, amen.