Presence, a Lenten Moment

Several years ago I was invited to present a Lenten moment based on Psalm 22:1-18, 25-31. The following is my presentation.

God was present with Jesus even as He hung on the cross and died. He must have cried as He watched - tears of sorrow and of joy - as His Son took on our sins - mine and yours - the sins of the world so we could have eternal life. Perhaps God's sorrow was in the darkness that fell upon the land, in the temple when the veil was torn from top to bottom. It was there when the earth shook and the rocks were split.

God is present with us in the good times and the bad. We may be more aware of His presence in the bad times because then we really lean on Him.

I have thought about God's presence in my preparation for this moment. The first things that came to mind was the song lyrics, "Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel His might power and His grace."

I have seen God's presence in my life many times. His presence was in the people who surrounded me and encouraged me as I walked a very unplanned path - through divorce. There were people who helped me know that I was ok and that God loved me all through that walk. One person was always at the other end of the phone when I needed to talk to her. She shared Bible verses with me many times. There were many others, especially the members of the church choir.

I went through a somewhat less traumatic time when I was fired from a good job in 1991. I had the chance to resign but decided that was not the path I wanted to take. The first Monday when I had no job to go to, it was raining outside. That matched the tears I was shedding inside. When I finally made my way out to my living room, I was amazed to find little arcs of rainbows reflected on the carpet, the walls, in the mirror over the fireplace. They were everywhere. It was as if God took my hand and said, "Look here, I am here. It is going to be fine." I can tell you where those little reflected arcs came from - a butterfly with three crystal prisms hung in the kitchen window. The sun was shining through those prisms and the little reflected arcs shown all around. I had lived there for nearly two years - and the butterfly hung in the window all that time - and I had never noticed the reflected arcs of rainbows before.

My son Tony planned a mission trip with Little Lambs Ministry to the Ukraine in 1994. His wife, Lisa, asked me why I didn't go with him. I told her I had no time off at my job, really didn't have the money to pay for a plane ticket, and just couldn't possibly go. When I got a very nice-sized tax refund, I looked at that check and decided to see what would happen. I gave 10% to the church, had enough money left to pay for my plane ticket, buy a Nordic Track, and enough to pay me for the two weeks I would miss work. My Visa came in good time. Don't you just love it when everything works together so something wonderful happens? It happened here.

Of course, I could never have gone to the Ukraine, if it had not been in God's plan for me. I have asthma and seldom spend much time outside or in places that don't have air conditioning. I would be outside nearly 100% of the time. I would need to take my medications and my nebulizer - and then depend on God to keep me healthy. And He did! It was a trip that changed my life. I no longer take cold water to drink nor hot water for a shower for granted. That trip made me very aware of how blessed we are to live in this country.

God allowed me to go on one more trip to Ukraine in 1995 only 19 days after Don and I got married. I've been asked to return but it has not been in God's plan for me to go back. Without God, I cannot go there and be healthy.

Have you ever wondered if what you are doing has any effect on anything or any one? Have you ever wondered if you really are who you seem to be? I had those feels in about 1998. I was working at the cardiologists' office. Those thoughts were bothering me. Several days later, I got a note in the mail from one of the nurses who had shared some family problems with me over lunch one day. The note began, "BJ, I was compelled to write this." I spoke to her later and asked about that. She told me it was the absolute truth, she was compelled to write me. Her note was God's reassurance that I was where he wanted me to be.

So you see, God is present every day. You may see His presence in someone's smile, in a note that says just what you need to hear, in the touch of someone's hand. His presence is there when things come together in a way you simply could never have imagined or dreamed.

We can help change people's lives when we are present for them. We can share smiles, hugs, handshakes, joys and sorrows with the people around us. We can share words of encouragement with those who are far away via email or a letter. We can be present for people by praying for them. These things help us practice the presence of God because we are doing His work here on earth.