Presence..
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Immanuel means ‘God with us’. This is one of the many names given to Jesus to signify his earthly mission. The God of the universe, who created everything, realised all to well that having presence was important. No longer would God dwell in the smoke of the desert mountain or behind the veil in the temple. God the creator understood what it meant to be ‘with’:
Ezek 37: 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
We can be surrounded by a crowd and be ‘with’ no one. One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody. Mother Teresa
Kirra tells us it was a time of crisis that he felt alone…. “It was at the end of last year when my mate got taken by a shark… I just didn’t really know where I was and it was just real hard. I didn’t really understand what had happened; it hit me real hard and I was away from family at that time. I just didn’t know what was going on”…."I ended up ringing Aaron and he was there for me all supportive."
Aaron had presence, he was with Kirra in the hard times.
God understands community, he dwells in it constantly in the trinity. He is also in constant community with us his followers. His parting words declared as much Matt 28: 20b… And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Even greater, God himself in the form of the Holy Spirit is within us.. 1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
Being with someone is not an activity or an event, its a posture, a presence, a constant connection.
Kirra… “He was just always there for me, he told me it was just one click of a button you can just give me a call; he was there talking me through it every day sending me a message…. It makes me feel like my second family, like their my brothers, like I’m meant to be there.”
I find it funny when people tell me they are seeking Gods presence, or they want to dwell in the presence. God’s presence is constant and within all who believe and have called upon his mercy and grace by faith. What they are communicating is that they desire a euphoric feeling, of worship or something similar that lifts us. These are great, however a true relationship of presence with someone has highs and lows, valleys and mountains. It is spoken and unspoken, active and passive, real relationships are comfortable with silence and there in pain and pleasure.
This is why I love the name Immanuel… The God of the universe entered this world not just to save us but to be with us. Jesus was God and also truly human, he cried, suffered, laughter and hung out with his mates. He God ‘with’ them.
The mystery of Gods love is not that he takes our pains away, but that he first wants to share them with us. Douglas Morrison.
Sometimes just being with someone makes all the difference… Just ask Kirra.....
Written by Andrew Carruthers - Narrow Path Media
