God is There

As I was thinking of God’s wonderful presence throughout my life, this little poem began to flow out of my heart. I pray that it deeply blesses you and that as you read it, your heart will be filled with the deep comfort of knowing that you are NEVER alone.

He is there when the sun peaks up, He is there in the rain
He is there times of laughter, He is there in the deepest pain.
He gives step by step instruction on the road to find the way,
He is there when heads are bowed in prayer and when the words aren’t there to say.
He is there when others approve with thunderous roars as they applaud
He is there when in the quiet, when its still and we know that He is God.
He is there when ties are broken with others as we go our separate ways
He is there when we don’t feel His presence, He is there when we raise our hands in praise
And in those moments when we feel angry with Him or when we think He doesn’t care,
He is right beside you…Jesus is always there.
For He has been with me on the mountain tops, and in the deepest valley low
I am sure that Jesus loves me and He will never, ever go. 

All throughout my life, the Holy Spirit has brought me incredible comfort, joy, strength, peace and great encouragement in times when I simply shouldn’t–by any logical reason have had any reason to have peace and comfort or strength. There have been many tears in my life–some from the painful choices others close to me have made that effected my life in a very painful way and some from consequences of my own choices, but because of Jesus, I have truly always had the strength to go on! There has been a deep, settling peace in my heart in the most unsettling of circumstances and trials because of His presence.

Before I met and married my amazing husband, he went through the horrific pain of losing his lovely late wife to a tragic accident and he had to be a single parent to special needs child for a season. But instead of choosing to be all alone in his pain and grief, he chose to lean into God’s presence and find comfort in the arms of Jesus. In God’s presence, He cried tears, shared his feelings and leaned into the pain of the loss of his wife. He walked through the valley of the shadow of death, and was deeply comforted and transformed by the love of Jesus which carried Him through. By the grace of God, he is now he is able to comfort many others as a result of the treasures he as gained in those painful, heart breaking times, and God has done such a deep work of healing in his heart because he chose to seek out Jesus and other Christians in those times.

I personally do not think of tragedy as a gift from God. I don’t celebrate when someone gets hurt or is treated unjustly,and I have a hard time believing that God would rejoice when His kids get hurt or when one of their friends die. That is not the heart of any good earthly father, and certainly not the heart of our Heavenly father! I believe that God allows things to happen (for reasons we may never know), but He is NOT the cause for the trauma or the trials. What I do know for sure is the gift of His presence as I’ve walked through those dark times, and the wisdom that has come as result of those painful trials. We can thank Him for His presence in those painful times, but I think it ok to be honest and tell God our deepest pain and sorrows. It is good to be honest and pour out your feelings that you maybe don’t have the strength to share with another human being…He understands more than anyone else ever could. There are others who have learned the secrets of His healing presence who will also have the love and compassion to walk with you through the dark times in your life if you’ll open your heart to them.

As much as I have known God in the pain, I have had the great joy of knowing Jesus in the most wonderful, joyful times! The blessing of family, the laughter with friends, the beauty of the sunset over the ocean, seeing little orphaned children laugh in third world countries…great joy with God! Perhaps the time in my life most rich with sharing joy with God was when I met my husband! It was as though the angels were singing the halleluia chorus and God was smiling right along with me as I was introduced to the man I had been praying for since I was an elementary school girl!!! On our wedding day, the presence of God was so strong and His blessing in our lives has truly been supernatural. The first time I met Steve’s son Isaiah (who is TOTALLY my boy now!!!), I fell in love with him! He ran to my lap, and before we told him anything about the direction of our relationship, he touched my face sweetly and said, “Ginger is my new mommy.” Talk about God’s smile! To hear those words from a little boy with autism was just a miracle! And the incredible love that Isaiah and I share, the bond we have and the attachment that he has for me as his “new mommy” is truly only a work of God for which I am forever grateful! The blessings of God are continuing to unfold as He is providing for us in the most incredible ways both personally and in ministry!  We are rich in heart and blessed to be serving the Lord in a full-time ministry capacity. We are watching the Lord bring many to Himself and filled with joy as we watch others choose to recognize God’s amazing love for them! What a joy to be walking with Jesus and celebrating His presence each day!!!

Whatever you may be going through today, know that you are not alone. God weeps with you. He is there to comfort, heal and give strength. He is there to rejoice with you and smile with you in the most incredible joys of life! He is GOOD and worthy of our adoration and worship…even when we don’t see evidence of Him being there, by faith we can take Him at His word and thank Him for being with there with you all the days of your life!

Some promises of God’s constant presence and love:

“Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you…” Joshua 1:5

” ‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:8

“…And surely I am with  you always to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

Circumstances are temporary…in 5 years, you may have totally different circumstances than you do today. But one thing remains unchanged–God’s presence and His love for you!

Going a little deeper…Some questions to think about…
1. How have you seen God at work in your darkest times?2. Have you felt free to tell God your deepest pain? Why or why not?
3. Can you think of a time when you felt God’s smile in your life?
4. Have there been any scriptures that have been comforting to you in the hard times?

I’d love to hear your responses!

Peace and giggles,

Ginger