God Is With Us: How Noticing God’s Presence Changes Us
I stumble upon the words on a Montana morning, sitting beneath towering conifers as they watch over our small campsite: “For the Lord your God is living among you” (Zephaniah 3:17, NLT). God is with us. We know this. I know this. But on this morning, I receive the words differently.
Maybe the scenery of a different place has awakened something within me, sharpened me.
I think of the 35-hour drive across the country to reach this place.
I reflect on the past four days spent in this quiet camping spot.
Most of our moments were good. But there were also moments in which kids threw punches, and parents snapped in impatience. Plenty of times, we wanted nothing more than to get out of the car and away from each other.
We endured two days with a fevered, parched-lipped, vomiting child (while camping!).
After a week with the family I love more than words can describe, my desire for solitude is beginning to compete with the joy of our adventure together.
God Is With Us: Living Among Us
I reflected on all of this as I sat with the words: “For the Lord your God is living among you.”
Oh dear, I thought. He’s been right here all along, and I’ve hardly noticed.
He was here when the child would not stop talking in the car. He was here through the vomiting, the long days of driving, and the hikes in which everyone complained and asked to turn around.
I knew he’d been with us theoretically, of course. But I hadn’t sat with the reality.
God was in the car. He wasn’t watching from some distant, ethereal place. He was with us.
God was with us through the highs and lows. When the child sat right in the middle of the hiking trail at Logan Pass and refused to take another step, God was with us.
When we were hungry, tired, too hot, and too cold, he was with us.
During those moments stuck in traffic on the interstate, he was with us.
When my husband lay beneath the car in the dirt of the Albertson’s parking lot changing our tire, he was with us.
How would our lives be different if we were always aware of God’s presence with us, living among us?
I’ve been reflecting on this since we’ve settled back into our cozy home in western Pennsylvania. Knowing God is with us changes the way we experience life. Here are a few ways.
God With Us Changes the Way We See
God Is With Us to Give Us Hope
When we know God is with us, we always have hope because living hope walks with us.
Rather than putting our hope in improved circumstances, we find our hope in the One who goes with us into even the worst situations. He is our Living Hope.
God Is With Us to Give Us Comfort
Most of us face times when we feel all alone in the world.
Other people fail to understand us. When those closest to us don’t understand us and can’t offer comfort, a better source of comfort is present, always listening.
We can turn to God in these moments and receive his comfort.
God Is With Us to Secure Our Identities
Remembering that God is with us reminds us of the truest part of our identities: We are loved by God.
God’s love is the one part of the human identity that can’t be changed or stripped away.
Nothing can ever take his love from us. We can rest in this promise as we remember that he is with us (Romans 8:37-39).
God Is With Us to Help Us Bear Good Fruit
Our lives are meant to bear good fruit that points others to God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
We can only bear good fruit by remaining connected to God (John 15). He is the vine. We are the branches. As we become more aware of his presence with us, pressing into him, he enables us to carry his goodness to the world around us. This is our purpose in life.
God Is With Us to Offer Perspective
Remembering that God is with us also offers perspective when life doesn’t make sense.
This applies to everything from everyday inconveniences, like being stuck in traffic, to more series challenges like medical diagnoses and heart-wrenching losses.
I carried this with us as we continued on our trip, seeing how all things worked together to fulfill God’s purposes.
Because our son was sick, I stayed back from a family hike to be with him, and we saw a grizzly bear, which was very exciting for us both.
Even though someone was in the camping spot we had reserved six months earlier, the site host found us an exponentially better, more private spot off the beaten path.
Despite the smoky haze in the sky, there were moments of clarity when the mountains shone perfectly, making us even more grateful.
Even though I was secretly dreading the horseback ride, it turned out to be the most meaningful part of the trip.
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I carry these lessons with me as we settle in at home. God is with us and paying attention to his presence changes everything.
Calling All Parents (and Grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 right here.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
