The Power of Staying Present in the Presence of God

See if this scenario sounds familiar. Most nights before bed I follow a routine of journaling, drinking tea, and preparing for the morning. I read a few pages of my current novel and switch off the lamp. I close my eyes and mentally search for a topic to mull over as I wait for sleep to come. I may think about the day’s events or what’s on my schedule tomorrow. Somewhere in the midst of these humdrum musings, a foreboding feeling or cringe-worthy memory creeps in. Then, a worry joins in from the corner of my mind. Slowly, so that I hardly notice at first, anxiety and fear link arms and begin swirling around.

What began as a mental recap of recent events transforms into a gray, billowing storm cloud of “what ifs” about the future and “what could have beens” about the past. I find myself wide-eyed despite the late hour on my clock.

Maybe this has happened to you when you close your eyes too. Or when your spouse is away for the night. Or when you’ve been social distanced from the rest of the world for the better part of a year. Or maybe the dark clouds gather in your mind at any time of the day without warning.

I’m thankful to not experience this every night, but it happened often enough in recent weeks that I began praying both at night and during the daylight hours for rescue from my own thoughts.

The Voice That Interrupts

Last week, I lay down to sleep, and the landscape of my thoughts began to darken.

“What if the fall my son took off that ledge this afternoon had been head-first instead of feet-first. What would have happened?”

“How would my life be different now if I had stood up to that person in college?”

“Remember that really vulnerable conversation you had with a friend from church—what if she thinks you’re crazy and never wants to talk to you again?”

Questions like these began to take me down a trail of imagination and scary invention. As I tossed and turned in bed, a new voice interrupted my runaway thoughts.

God said, “stay with me here in the present.” It wasn’t an audible voice, but it was an impression so distinctly out of place and inconsistent with my own pattern of thinking that I recognized it as the voice of God.

I responded and told God “Yes, I will stay with you here in the present, in your presence.” As my mind pulled, trying to go back to its imagined emergencies and potential future pitfalls, I reiterated my intention. “I will stay here with you in the present.”

A peace swept over me as I re-focused my mind on the present moment and God’s nearness to me. I thanked God for the room I was in, my comfortable bed, and his always-awake, ever-watchful presence. I don’t remember much else because I fell asleep quickly after.

The Scripture That Speaks

The next morning, I thought about my experience with the Lord and the powerful peace I found when I reeled in my imagination to stay with him in the present moment. Three Scriptures came to mind.

The Action Plan

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

The first line of this passage commands me to not fear and gives me the best reason to not entertain fearful thoughts—His presence with me. After the previous night’s experience, I also now see these words as my plan of action. When my mind begins to wander to places of uncertainty and worry, I will draw it back to God’s presence where fear has no say.

One of my first articles about faith came from this idea: “There is no grace for your imagination.” This quote comes from Vickie Kraft and has profoundly impacted my ideas about worry and fear.

When I begin imagining trials and losses, I’m stepping out of reality into a world that doesn’t exist. In my imagined world, I picture trauma or loss, but I’m not able to simultaneously imagine God’s intermingled presence and grace. But what I do know is that when heartbreak and sorrow come my way, God’s grace will be sufficient to sustain and heal.

In any trial, joy, loss, or gain, God’s grace goes with us to strengthen and provide what we need in the current, real moment—not an imagined moment.

God is faithful to rescue, and he rescued me when I was swept away downstream by a flood of fear and worry by reminding me of access to his power and saving might. He calls me to remain present with him in the life, the circumstances, and the moment that he has orchestrated. His grace is sufficient for that reality. And it is by his grace I am reminded he is with me here and now.

The Choice

Be still, and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

When I hear this verse, I think about a pause in the middle of busy days filled with errands, problems, and information overload. The command to “be still” brings to mind ideas of early mornings with Bible and coffee cup in hand or a quiet get-away in the majestic mountains to commune with God. I believe these are right and good illustrations of this verse.

In addition to physical stillness, I also see the choice before me to still my thoughts and set aside my mental busyness. Although my body may lay still in a dark, quiet environment, the buzz and movement in my mind usually deserves an adjective opposite of “still.” 

The command to “Be still and know that I am God” is speaking today to my thought life. Still your thoughts. Quiet your mind. In place of all the nervous mental energy, think on this, “that I am God.”

It’s easy to lose sight of the choices we have concerning our thoughts. When I think about my thoughts, I see the patterns, the potholes, and the habits—both good and bad. When I sink below that level of objectivity down into the work of thinking my thoughts, I easily forget the choices I am granted to refuse a thought or to replace imagined fears with promised truths. God reminds me this option is available, and he instructs me to take it.

The Protection

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34

Don’t you wish this verse said something more like “do not be anxious about tomorrow, because everything will be just fine”?

If the perfect Lamb of God faced the trouble of rejection, pain, and death then surely I deserve no better. We will face trouble, but to command us to stay in today in the presence of God, Jesus is offering protection from the troubles of tomorrow.

Jesus knew what was in store for him at the end of his life. What if he had dwelled on those facts before they became his reality? I can’t imagine he would sleep easily at night if he was setting his mind on the coming crucifixion. Instead, we see how he slept through storms, enjoyed the company of people, and used his days caring for others because he stayed present in the day and let tomorrow worry about itself.

To worry about the cross would have been to add to his current day’s trouble of healing an unclean woman, teaching and feeding the thousands, or washing the feet of his disciples. Those needs were enough in his present moment.

When I mentally wander away from my present moment, I’m inviting in the worries and troubles of my tomorrows and my yesterdays. Jesus’ command offers protection from those thoughts.

His Powerful Presence

If you struggle with runaway worries or fears—either in the light of day or when you close your eyes to go to sleep at night—ask yourself whether you’re staying present in the presence of God. Our thoughts are not more powerful than our God. When we submit our fears of the future to him and stay present in his presence, his grace proves more than sufficient for our needs.

Father God,

What a marvel that you are present with me wherever I go—to the far corners of the earth and to my own bed each evening. Help me see the choice before me—to either entertain my imagined fears or to remain present right here with You. I choose to stay here in Your presence. Thank you that your grace is sufficient and sustains me right now. Still my thoughts, Lord, because they are at your command. By the power of Jesus, I reject fear and cling to You and the knowledge of Your presence. You are the one who helps. You are the one who strengthens. You are the one who upholds me with your righteous right hand. As fear and worry run to hide, fill me with the peace of Your presence.

In Jesus’s name,

Amen.

Our thoughts are not more powerful than our God. When we submit our fears of the future to him and stay present in his presence, his grace proves more than sufficient for our needs. #PresenceOfGod #DoNotFear Click To Tweet