A pastor whom I respect greatly emailed me and instead of finishing with a friendly “all the best” or a more formal “yours sincerely” said simply, “God is with you.” At the time I found it very encouraging and told him so the next time we met. He replied “I end all my emails that way. I figure that it is the most important thing I want people to know, because you see and experience everything differently when you know that God is with you.”
I have thought about that simple conversation many times since, and the more I think about it, the more I agree. We should always remember the really big truths about life, and there is no truth bigger than this – that God is, that God cares, and that God is with us. And knowing that deeply (as opposed to a quickly dismissive, ‘yes, that’s nice’) genuinely does change everything. I’ve written before on living coram Deo and this is part of that great insight – that we live before the face of God, fully known by the God who has created everything.
It transforms things at so many levels. The Psalmist famously writes, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps 23:4). That’s pushing it out to the furthest end… Imagine looking at the old enemy death and saying “you really don’t frighten me, for God is with me.”
It works on more ordinary days as well. I have a mountain of washing to get through – and you are with me. I’m on my way to the gym, not certain I have the energy to step onto the treadmill again – except that you are with me. I am in the middle of a confronting conversation. I am at that troubling tipping point when I will topple from being able to be restrained, reasonable and pleasant and I am about to lose it all and say things I will regret, and then I remember, “God is with me”… or I have toppled over that point and must move into damage control – and remember, God you are with me.
I remember seeing a sign, “All minors must be accompanied”. Of course they must. But in reality, when faced with some of the tougher scenarios of life, we are all minors, and must be accompanied. And we are, for if we pay attention, we discover that God is with us.
Note my little qualifier here. If we pay attention, we discover God is with us. Note, it is not because we pay attention God is with us. It is that without attention we may miss this great truth, for it is possible for God to be with us and for us to be unaware of this transforming truth.
About 2000 years ago Jesus’ disciples were devastated when he told them he was about to depart. But then He gave them his unforgetable promise, “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20). Don’t you love the surely and the always? It’s a strong emphasis, just as Jesus is about to depart. Though I am leaving, I am always with you. It’s for sure, and it is always – yes, even to the end of the age. It’s a strange paradox – Jesus’ departure does not mean Jesus’ absence. He is present, even when absent.
If you are needing a reminder of this great truth why not take a moment to listen to the wonderful Riverside Church Choir singing “We are not alone -we are never alone, for God is with us – for ever and ever – Amen”.
And why not take a moment to pause and reflect on this great truth: God is with you…
Nice chatting…
Photo by Johannes Plenio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-of-mountain-1996046/
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