A few years ago, we planted two blackberry bushes in our backyard. Since he didn’t quite understand the concept of “ripeness,” my two-year-old son often walked to the plot and picked off a green or yellow berry, only to drop it with disappointment into the soil. “You can’t pick them when they’re green,” I told him. “They need to stay on the vine.”
God’s presence is a mysterious concept. At times, I’ve felt His closeness like a breath on my cheek. Other times, I’ve had to trust that His nearness is truth—regardless of my emotions or circumstances. If I trust Jesus, then I must take Him at His Word, and He tells me over and over again through Scripture that He will not leave me behind, He will always be present, and even when He is not physically present, the Holy Spirit will stand in the gap. God’s presence in my life is like the nutrients that move from soil through the vine into an unripe raspberry. Cut off from the source, nothing blooms. Cut off from His presence, I will be nothing but wasted potential.
Often, I can be tricked into believing that in order for me to experience God’s presence, I need a plush upholstered chair, a window that emits plentiful natural light, a cup of just-brewed coffee, a journal, and a good pen. Silence. But God is present with me, even when I am not aware of Him. And if God is always with me, then He is with me in the chaos of the day, just as much as He is in the precious moments of morning quiet. In the Great Commission, Jesus is sending His closest friends into oppositional territory, to places where they will be persecuted, hunted, and ultimately, killed. And despite that terrifying reality, Jesus promises them: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus is with you too—today, yesterday, and forever. No matter what you’re facing. No matter the sorrow, past or present, He is here—grieving with us, celebrating with us, growing and filling us with His Spirit, and helping us take steps forward with hope.
There is no check-list of calm or solitude required for God’s presence to attend to your weary soul. He is here now. He is with you, always. His presence flows into your heart, whether you feel it or not, whether you see it or not. All you must do is stay on the vine.
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26 thoughts on "God’s Presence Is with Us Always"
The Holy Spirit – our perfect healer. He is always with us regardless of our acknowledgement of Hjm. I again say that he constant when things are definitely not constant !
Amen
I need to remember that God is with me in the chaos as much as he is with me in the quiet.
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Amen
❤️❤️
Stay on the vine. Amen
Hello Shes. Posting late tonight. Haven’t had time to do this devotional until now, 7PM.
@Emily, I haven’t fully read all the other post suggestions, but it is good to practice being still with the Lord. I saw some other Shes mention they like to play gospel music. That helps! But sometimes, I practice shutting off the noise… Like when I am driving.. and just praying in the silence. Whether that is out loud or in my mind.
I think if you ask God for more of Him, He won’t withhold Himself. I read that verse, “I won’t leave you orphans” with a longing… Like Jesus longing to be with us. He didn’t have to give us His Spirit.
But He longs for intimacy. That’s really been on my mind the past 24 hours. I wrote here a few weeks ago I was longing for friendship intimacy. Yesterday, after doing my devotional, I was journaling and realized how near Jesus was all the time. Like really sat with the idea that He never leaves me alone. He was basically saying, “You desire intimacy – but you have it always, with Me.”
That melted my heart… To feel and believe God’s intimate love for me. I am currently single. I have not dated since the Lord told me to trust Him for a husband. It’s been years… But knowing Jesus’s love… It satisfies.
Emily, I pray you seek God’s presence until He meets you. He’s already present with you, now, but I pray He is made manifest to you. God bless you ♥️ Jesus loves you!!! I pray you feel it, truly!
@Victoria E ♥️ praise God ! May you have patience and take this one day at a time with the things yet unresolved and still difficult.
@Rhonda J ♥️
Sarah D ♥️ I pray God’s peace and grace to you in this final month of the school year… may you continue to trust Him and ask Him for strength in your work. As His word said today, without Him we can do nothing… May you lean on Him for the strength to build what matters ♥️ God bless you!!!
So thankful for the reminder today in Ephesians 1:13-14 that as born again believers in Christ – we can never lose our salvation. We are sealed – until the day of our redemption! The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance. Praise God that He loves me, He has saved me, He has sealed me – I am His for all eternity!! Nothing can take me out of the palm of His hand.
@Sarah D – prayers for endurance & energy as your last month winds down, relief from your dizziness and God’s will concerning your “friend”.
@Julia C. – thank you for asking, my back is doing much better – after 2 visits to the chiropractor.
@Danielle B. – continued prayers for your dad’s recovery from surgery.
@Emily – praying for you to feel God’s presence & be able to spiritually connect with Him. Kris gave some very good suggestions!
Have a blessed evening ladies!
Hey Hey My She’s!
I have been reading everyday and by the time I get through that, the devotionals, and the comments I’ve had to get going! It has been a busy week, a weary, emotionally tired week, and a crazy jail ministry week yesterday…and it’s only Thursday!! And then my last small group is on Saturday morning! (It’s been a great read- “Put Your Warrior Boots On” if you want a book to pump you up to get out there and be a Jesus Strong woman!)
Kris, I love how you put the ways you feel the Lord’s presence, I adhere to those as well! I definitely have Christian music on non-stop that follows me everywhere, all day long. (not that I don’t get SOME quite time with the Lord and no noise!)
CeeGee- It was sad to hear about Mandisa! Thank you for sharing the lyrics…although I know the song and sing along, I apparently didn’t know any of those main lyrics except the chorus, and they are GOOD!!
Prayers for all the requests! Praise Victoria E!
I might have to leave my crazy Jail ministry story on FB!
EMILY: For me, to feel God’s presence, 1. I simply pray for God to reveal Himself to me. I express my desire to feel His presence. 2. I read the bible. God’s word is living, so it’s an active, live way to be in His presence. I ask Him to show me things in His word, to reveal things I haven’t seen before. 3. I play Christian music. I have it playing when I’m getting ready for work, when I’m cooking dinner, when I’m cleaning the house. It keeps my mind on Him. 4. I thank Him and feel gratitude for the blessings He’s given me 5. Many times its an act of faith. I know He’s there even when I don’t feel it. Faith pleases God. In fact, we cannot please God without faith. So, even when I don’t feel His presence, I let my mind remind me that He is there, I exercise my faith in what the bible says about His presence with me at all time. Most of the time I don’t “feel” God’s presence, but it’s a state of mind to believe that He is. I hope this helps
I have been really struggling to feel God’s presence lately, thus why I’m doing this devotional. How do you all connect with God and feel his presence best?
Hey Sister She, Donna C. Thanks plenty for your beautiful punctuation to the day’s devotional:
“The world tells us to not think too much, to avoid, to forget, to ignore, to escape in order to find peace. But Your peace comes from remembering You, turning our eyes upon You, and thinking about You. We can have an untroubled heart in a troubled life because we know You.”
So often I’m wowed by the comments & contributions shown in this community. Truly we need one another in the spirit, in this space, sharing in the journey. Seldom do I have the “perfect circumstance” to receive God. But I do believe He sees all; knows all; forgives all: strengthens all; without our even asking. How great! How generous!
In seeking Him, in honesty & humility, He provides, beyond measure. As in the gathering of Shes here & everywhere.
Thanks Donna C. & each & all for participation in & commitment to SRT studies. Even In our messiness. Maybe especially in our messiness.
Amen & Amen!
We lost Christian artist, Mandisa, one week ago today. This is her song, He Is With Us. The lyrics fit so well with this study.
He Is With Us by Mandisa (copied from Youtube)
There’s a time to live
And a time to die
There’s a time to laugh
And a time to cry
There’s a time for war
And a time for peace
There’s a hand to hold
In the worst of these
He is with you when your faith is dead
And you can’t even get out of bed
Or your husband doesn’t kiss you anymore
He is with you when your baby’s gone
And your house is still, and your heart’s a stone
Cryin’ God, what’d You do that for
He is with you
There’s a time for yes
And a time for no
There’s a time to be angry
And a time to let it go
There is a time to run
And a time to face it
There is love to see you
Through all of this
He is with you in the conference room
When the world is coming down on you
And your wife and kids don’t know you anymore
He is with you in the ICU
When the doctors don’t know what to do
And it scares you to the core
He is with you
We may weep for a time
But joy will come in the morning
The morning light
He is with you when your kids are grown
When there’s too much space and you feel alone
And you’re worried if you got it right or wrong
Yes He is with you when you’ve given up
On ever finding your true love
Someone who feels like home
He is with you
When nothing else is left
And you take your final breath
He is with you
Music video by Mandisa performing He Is With You.
KELLY and JULIA C – those were my 2 main takeaways!
JULIA C – Way to preach through prayer, sister! Amen and amen! ❤
SEARCHING -❤ ❤
TINA – Glad to see you in your usual spot! ❤
This is from NKJV MacArthur Study Bible:
Ephesians 1:13-14 – sealed with the Holy Spirit. God’s own Spirit comes to indwell the believer and secures and preserves his eternal salvation. The sealing of which Paul speaks refers to an official mark of identification placed on a letter, contract, or other document. That document was thereby officially under the authority of the person whose stamp was on the seal.
Four primary truths are signified by the seal:
1) security (cf. Dan. 6:17; Matt. 27:62–66);
2) authenticity (cf. 1 Kin. 21:6–16);
3) ownership (cf. Jer. 32:10); and
4) authority (cf. Esth. 8:8–12). The Holy Spirit is given by God as His pledge of the believer’s future inheritance in glory (cf. 2 Cor. 1:21).
“There is no check-list of calm or solitude required for God’s presence to attend to your weary soul. He is here now. He is with you, always. His presence flows into your heart, whether you feel it or not, whether you see it or not.” Amen Claire Gibson
Song came to mind this morning Draw me close to you
Never let me go
I lay it all down again
To hear you say that I’m your friend
You are my desire
No one else will do
‘Cause nothing else can take your place
To feel the warmth of your embrace
Help me find the way
Bring me back to you
You’re all I want
You’re all I’ve ever needed
You’re all I want
Help me know you are near
I just love John 14’s passage today. “I will not leave you as orphans.” and “Peace I leave with you”. I have never had a strong emotional connection to my parents. I did not feel like someone was truly watching over me and looking out for my best interest while growing up. Some of that could have been my immature view of life, and some of it could have been my parents struggle financially and in their marriage. But regardless, that is how I felt. And now I am divorced after a rough marriage of 22 years. So, I have felt alone much of my life. BUT Jesus tells us that we are NOT orphans, we are NOT alone in this world, we DON’T have to do it on our own. HE has given us the Holy Spirit, who guides us, looks out for us, gives us what we need, prompt us to go left or right, shows us how to receive the blessings God has for us. And that give me such peace. I do not feel alone any more. I have a Father who truly loves me and is always watching out for my best interest. I stick close to Him because I would be afraid not to. I will remain in Him because where else would I want to be?
“All you must do is stay on the vine.” What a powerful statement! Abide in Him! He is always with us. Thank you Lord that we are never alone.
Praying for all of you!
I’m staying on the vine. I don’t want to be any where else! AND if I try to get off, I have my faithful godly friends and of course the prompting of the Holy Spirit to remind me to “stay-on” no matter my circumstances. Happy Thursday sweet She’s. I’m a little under the weather and would appreciate prayer. I can’t miss work! Thankfully I slept well and ready for the day.
VICTORIA E — Yay, Praise Jesus!! Continued prayers
♥️
Thank you ladies for your prayers! I’m behind this week and will go back Saturday to read. My dad’s surgeon is pleased. He said my dad had a lot of scar tissue, so it was a longer surgery and he couldn’t do some of the procedure he wanted to do. We got back to my parents’ late yesterday afternoon. My dad will need to rest, which isn’t an easy thing for him. Pray for him as he recovers and deals with the pain.
DANIELLE B – How did your dad’s surgery go?
SHARON, JERSEY GIRL – How is your hip/back pain?
MERCY – How is your husband doing?
SEARCHING – Praying for Shannon and her family now other health issues have come up. May God give wisdom and healing. Continued prayers for your relative, for patience, and God’s guidance in this process.
SARAH D. – Praying for endurance and energy to complete your assignment and other work. Praying for patience in the waiting.
JULIA KIEFER – Praying for God’s guidance and provision in finding a new job.
VICTORIA E – Praising God with you!
MIA FAITH – ❤️
CEE GEE – Keep sharing those beautiful songs! ❤️
TRACI GEDRON – I hope you had a good night of sleep ❤️
“In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.”
— Ephesians 1:13-14
Dear Father,
Thank You for the inheritance that You left us: Your presence, Your power, and Your peace through the Holy Spirit.
You are with us always, in everything we do: You protect us, You guide us, You comfort us, You empower us, You change us. Like the disciples (Matthew 28:17) I sometimes have mixed feelings about this: I want to jump out of joy but at the same time I hesitate, thinking: Isn’t this too good to be true?
But the power, the authority, is Yours (Matthew 28:18). Therefore You can send imperfect people to work *for* You and *with* You. We are changed by Your love for us —shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Your Son Jesus. He is the source of our obedience. May the outcome of our obedience be love for You and others (John 14:15).
In this life, troubles will come. But You gave us your shalom, your peace (John 14:27). The world tells us to not think too much, to avoid, to forget, to ignore, to escape in order to find peace. But Your peace comes from remembering You, turning our eyes upon You, and thinking about You. We can have an untroubled heart in a troubled life because we know You.
Help us to stay in Your presence.
Help us to rely on Your power.
Help us to rest in Your peace: a trusting love in You, our God and Father.
In Jesus’ name,
AMEN.
Good morning everyone, I would love your prayers. I have been feeling dizzy at school recently, normally mid morning, and it has just made the days harder this week. I am also working on a big assignment for my online class, and it has been taking awhile to finish (unfortunately it is late, but thankfully they don’t take off too many points). We have one month left of school in Pre-K, prayers appreciated for endurance and energy. I will be working over the summer too, so that will be an interesting transition. Also would love continued prayers for my “friend” from church. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I can see how he has been interested in me…I will see him Saturday at our young adults game night, so I’m excited for that. Waiting is hard! Try ing to lean into what the Lord is teaching me. Thank you all! Praying for requests as I see them too
He abides in us! Hallelujah!
VICTORIA E – praise for the answered prayers regarding your job!
Praying we all have a blessed day.