God is here with you right now

How I wish I could meet with God over coffee to get crystal-clear answers to my deep questions. Sometimes it is hard for me not to be able to encounter God in the way I meet my fellow human beings. 

Many Christians desire to be closer to God. We want to feel His presence, but are troubled by a sense that God is far away. 

I think Jacob felt very similar. In fact, he didn’t even expect God’s presence, let alone an encounter with God, when he laid down to sleep on the road from Beersheba to Haran: 

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Genesis 28:16

Perhaps you know the moments when you realize that God has answered a prayer or you observe how He works in your life. Usually these events are followed by thoughts like, “Wow! God is working. God is here.” or similar. Feelings of joy and reverence set in. You become aware of God’s presence right here right now.

Such experiences can carry us through days, even weeks. We feel seen and known by God and are gifted with His presence. He is working in our lives! 

Jacob felt similarly after his vision of the stairway (Genesis 28:12-15). His realization was as follows: God is here. I just didn’t know it. God is always there. The problem is that we only perceive His presence when we consciously experience Him. 

In today’s world, we place a lot of value on feelings. We want to “feel” something. Worship times are designed to feel God, and many Christians seek God in their quiet time in hopes of experiencing Him. When the hoped-for feelings don’t manifest, disappointment sets in and thoughts revolve around having done something wrong, not being gifted enough, or being inadequate. 

When we don’t feel close to God, we don’t seem to be close to Him. But why are our feelings the measuring stick for truth? Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God is only there when we feel Him. On the contrary, Jacob realized that God was there even before he had the vision.

Our life with Jesus requires faith (Hebrews 11:6). Faith that His words are true. Faith that He exists. We learn about His intimacy, His guidance, who He is and therefore who we are, through the Bible.

His Word testifies that God lives in us believers (1 Corinthians 3:16). Even though we cannot see or touch Him, even though we may rarely hear Him, He is present within us. 

The truth is that Jesus is always with us:

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Trust in His Word yields rest and peace. In the promise of His presence, and not in sensing it, lies power. 

God is present when we come together in His name (Matthew 18:20). 

He is near when we sincerely call upon Him (Psalm 145:18). 

God is constantly thinking about us (Psalm 139). 

All creation is a testimony to God’s existence and presence (Romans 1:20).

God promises to be with us always (Joshua 1:9). 

The promise of God’s presence includes hope and strength. Countless biblical passages testify to His presence in our lives. It is so important that we stand firm on the truth that is God’s Word. 

When our feelings want to tell us that God is far away, we may remember that He lives in us, is always with us, and remains close to us whether we feel Him or not. In the words of Jacob, “God is here, and I didn’t know it.” 

Read more:

How to abide in joy

Find shelter in God’s arms 

Why Paul was free from the opinion of people

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