Recently, I got into the kitchen to fix some meals for the children/family. Normally, my children would come around to keep me company; they just love seeing Daddy cook. But on this particular day, they both were nowhere to be found. I guess they were attracted by something they were playing with.
Feeling left alone, I called out the younger one; “You have left Daddy alone in the kitchen.” Her response not only surprised me, it also passed a message across to me; “Daddy, you are not alone. God is with you there.”
Friend, you are not alone. When you feel that you are alone, always be reminded that God is with you. When God says He would never leave you nor forsake you, it was not one of those random statements. He meant it from His heart (Hebrews 13:5-6). God has vowed never to leave the believer because of what Jesus has done on our behalf.
Most times, the problem is not divine presence but our consciousness of the same. God cannot be more with you than He already is. The issue is that you can be more conscious of His presence than you have ever been (Genesis 28:16). Your consciousness of God would affect your what you see and how you feel, and these would ultimately affect your reality and outcome in life (2 Kings 6:15-17).
Cultivating divine presence is the responsibility of every believer (Psalms 23:1-6). Like someone rightly said, if you feel that God has left you, guess who moved? Obviously, it was not God who moved. It is you who are not conscious of His presence. Apart from omnipresence, which everyone and everything enjoys, the believer has the abiding presence (Matthew 28:20).
You cultivate divine presence by practising divine presence. God’s presence requires a practice. God’s presence is not just something you imagine or a mental picture of a God that you carry. It is something you work conscious of. It is something you intentionally engage. If you know that God is with you, you would engage Him in conversations. You would relate with Him as you would a personality (Exodus 33:12-15).
Facing life with the consciousness of God’s presence is the secret of success and victory. Who is with you is more important than what is confronting you. Some people are more conscious of their mountain than the God of the mountain. Rather than telling God about the mountain, you should tell the mountain about God (Zechariah 4:6-9, Mark 11:23).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria