His "With Us"

Some have limited God’s presence to heaven. Consequently they think that when they  get to heaven they will be closer to Him. Considering His omnipresence, however, that concept cannot possibly be correct. We can never be nearer or further from God’s presence. We can never leave His presence nor enter into it. That particular dimension of God’s presence is always (at all times) everywhere (in all places). He fills “heaven and earth”–equally. When we enter heaven, we will not enter God’s presence (in this sense). His omnipresence is as real here on earth as it is in heaven. He is everywhere and fills everything. (A Passion for His Presence, by Lamar Boschman)

I think this is the one book on my shelves that doesn’t belong to me. I borrowed it probably 6 or 7 years ago from a woman who I knew for about 3 hours. We were connected by somebody who knew somebody. I helped her with an outreach to the homeless in Boston, and this book was on her desk where she worked. The title jumped out at me. She freely lent it to me, and now I have no idea where she is, her name, or how to get it back. I pray God gave her another one, or He will restore my memory. (smile)

The physical shape of the book is a mess. It was torn and dirty when I got it. Maybe that is the true sign of a good book.

Anyway, I’m not sure the relevance of that information except to say that God led me to it the other day. I love finding such treasures waiting silently for me to excavate them from their hiding places. When you reopen a good book, it can breathe life again. But I digress….

The quote above is based on Psalm 139:

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there
Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.  (Psalm 139:7-10)

There have been times in my life when God seemed absent. If I take Scripture literally, and Lamar’s words as truth based on Truth, that means that even though I could not feel God’s presence, He was there. He is here. Always.

If I can’t feel Him, my feelers must be off. If I can’t hear Him, my ears must need to be opened. Yet, I think there are times when God wants us to believe He is present when we can’t feel Him or see Him. It’s called faith.

There is another book I’m going on an adventure to find today. (It’s lost in the jungle of our garage.) The title is (I think) Practicing the Presence of God.

Sometimes we have to practice knowing He is with us by faith. And really, I think the more we practice the greater our passion for His presence will grow because the more we will experience His “with us”.

Remember, He is everywhere.

Grace and Peace,

andy