God With You

I talk to God a lot more when I'm scared. That's just the truth. 

Whenever I'm doing something that requires more than I think I have in me, I become keenly aware of my desperate need for God to not only be God, but to be near. 

I remember the first couple of times I made inter-state drives by myself. I would periodically look at the mile markers I was passing and the odometer on my car, take a breath, and pray, "God, together, we have gotten this far. No matter how far we get, You have to get me home." And every time, He did. 

Before a number of my surgeries, I have prayed for God to comfort me, to give me peace, to give my body the rest that it needs to recuperate. 

On difficult days, I have to stop and remember that I do nothing in my own strength. 

And when I'm stressed, exhausted, or burdened beyond my measure and the worst parts of me start to come out, I remind myself that God is with me and that what I'm doing is unbecoming of a child of God...especially in the very presence of her Father. 

Every year as Christmas approaches, this is the very thing that we prepare our hearts and minds for - the coming of Christ, the presence of God, Immanuel. It is the greatest promise - and fulfillment - of God. 

God with us. 

But God with us is not just the promise of Christmas; it's the promise of God's entire story. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He filled them, then He walked in the garden in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve. On the banks of the Jabbok River, He wrestled with Jacob. At the burning bush, He met with Moses. His glory filled the Tabernacle and later, the Temple - a visible, tangible glory. 

And then, the exile. And then, trouble. And then, the Temple is lying in ruins. And then, for too long in Israel's history, it was so hard for them to understand, to believe, that God was still with them. 

That's why the words of Haggai are so powerful. The prophet reminds the people not once, but twice, that God is with them (1:13, 2:4).

And just like me when I'm scared, this long period of silence and alienation and uncertainty and fear was exactly when God's people needed most to hear that. It's when they most needed that reminder. 

It's probably when you most need it, too. 

God is with you. Whatever you're facing, whatever this day brings, however much you think you're missing, however quiet the heavens sound, however far from home you feel, whether we're approaching Christmas quite yet or not, if you need this reminder today, then here it is for you. Say it with every emphasis that you can. 

God is with you.

God is with you. 

God is with you. 

God is with you. 

And He will never leave you nor forsake you. That's the promise, and you can count on it.