I’ve really been reflecting on God’s presence in my life. How many times have I known that He was there when I was facing trouble? How many times has He kept me safe and rescued me while traveling on the freeway and the highways of our land? It is impossible for me to number or even remember all the times that He has protected me during my life.
Yes, His presence has truly been my gift.
I do remember one time that I would like to share. Dave and I were working 900 acres of alfalfa for an absentee owner. We did it all; the swathing, raking, baling and the roadsiding. Dave did the mechanical upkeep on the equipment while I kept house and raised two young children. We did have an irrigator and Dave did teach a lady to drive the roadside after we had been there for a while but between the two of us we did most all the work. The ranch we lived on was in the Arizona desert south of Phoenix about 60 miles in a little town called Arlington.
We started cutting hay when it was tall enough in March and didn’t quit until we got frost in December or January. During the hottest part of the summer we were cutting every 21 days and our average was 10 cuttings a year. We didn’t have the equipment that put out the big round bales. Our balers popped out little loaves of 110 pound bales. We ran night and day. Have you ever heard the expression you can’t make hay while the sun shines, well in Arizona that’s very true. You have to bale at night when you have enough dew to make the alfalfa soft and moist so the leaves don’t fall off in the baling process.
Dave and I spent hours on equipment and we used that time to listen to cassette tapes of good Bible teaching. It kept us alert and we were feeding our souls at the same time. We had heard this one Bible verse and were definitely ready to put it to practice:
“I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you.” Luke 10:19 CEV
If you’re familiar with desert life this is a tremendous verse. At this ranch we had scorpions but we had an abundance of rattlesnakes in our fields. One night Dave needed to change the irrigation water. I went with him and as he was walking down the ditch bank with his flashlight he stepped right on the back of a rattler. That snake didn’t strike but instead crawled away. Yes, God’s presence was our gift!
There are many more examples that I could share but in a small way it was there that we realized the God who delivered a young David from the giant Goliath, a Daniel in the lion’s den, 3 Hebrew teenagers in a fiery furnace, a young Esther in the palace of a king, a baby Moses in the Nile River, an unnamed demonic on the hillside, a harlot, a prostitute, a ship full of sailors, etc. is the same God and Father who kept us safe from harm.
“Your Spirit is everywhere I go. I cannot escape your presence. 8 If I go up to heaven, you will be there. If I go down to the place of death, you will be there.” Psalm 139:7-8 ERV
There’s no where that we go that God’s presence isn’t there with us.
“God is our mighty fortress, always ready (present) to help in times of trouble. 2 And so, we won’t be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea. 3 Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.” Psalm 46:1-3 CEV
“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” Isaiah 41:10 CEV
“Jacob, the Lord created you. Israel, he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine. 2 When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. 3 That’s because I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior…”Isaiah 43:1-3 ERV
Flood, fire, freeways – scorpions, snakes, shipwreck, whatever it is God is there and His promises are as real for us as they were when they were written.
Open the gift of God’s presence! It’s a place of great joy.