7th December 2023

God is present

While shopping at a store of vintage items, I came across a plaque with the words: “Bidden or not bidden, God is present.” On the back, it says Carl Jung had this carved in Latin over the front door of his house in Zurich to remind him that awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). The words are said to originate from the reply given by the Delphic Oracle to the Spartans when they were planning a war against Athens: ‘Yes, the gods will be present, but in what form and to what purpose?”

I have it on a wall where I see it daily and it reminds me that even when people don’t want him, turn their backs on him or wonder where he is, God is here. And he’s not just here, but present, active, engaged and delivering. There’s never a moment when God isn’t aware and involved in the lives of all human beings. He sees the misery and pain of everyone, and just as he wept over the death of Lazarus, he weeps with us, sharing in our sufferings and sorrows.

The problems facing this world often seem hopeless, with nothing ahead but more suffering and anguish, but God has not abandoned us. “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15, CSB). We never have to wonder where God is, because he is here. In him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

Study by Tammy Tkach

First published on 14 November 2023, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com

About the writer:
Tammy Tkach is the Assistant Pastor of the Eugene, Oregon, USA, Grace Communion International congregation. She is a speaker and writer, and publishes a blog at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com  

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