“Dependent on God’s Presence”

From the

Good News Times

Weekly Newsletter of Puno United Methodist Church

“Those who wait on the Lord… shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31)

There is on thrill for us in walking, yet it is the test for all of our steady and enduring qualities. To “walk and not faint” is the highest stretch possible as a measure of strength. The word walk is used in the Bible to express the character of a person – “…John … looking at Jesus as he walked… said, ‘Behold the lamb of God!’” (John 1:35-36). There is nothing abstract or obscure in the Bible; everything is vivid and real. God does not say “Be spiritual,” but He says, ‘Walk before me…” (Genesis 17:1)

When we are in an unhealthy condition either physically or emotionally, we always look for thrills in life. In our physical life this leads to our efforts to counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit; in our emotional life it leads to obsessions and to the destruction of our morality; and in our spiritual life, if we insist on pursuing only thrills, it will result in the destruction of our spirituality.

Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on ur determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence. The experience what the psalmist speaks of – “We will not fear, even though…” 9Psalm 46:2) – will be ours once we are grounded on the truth of the reality of God’s presence, not just a simple awareness of it, but an understanding of the reality of it. Then we will exclaim, “He has been here all the time! At critical moments in our live it is necessary to ask God for guidance, but it should be unnecessary to be constantly saying “Oh, Lord, direct me in this and in that.” If our everyday decisions are not according to His will, He will press through them, bringing restraint to our spirit. Then we must be quiet and wait for the direction of His presence.