By Judy Villanueva
Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Sitting on the deck overlooking a vista that stretches out for miles, I found myself a witness to declarations of emerald green, sage and hints of autumn yellow. In those spacious moments, with only the wind and a sweet black lab to keep me company, I felt the reality of God surround me. He’s always there, I know, but I tend to get lost in the here and now of my life and, too often, lose hold of the Divine Presence that offers me its consolations of love every minute of every day. With beauty His backdrop, the Eternal, Immortal, Invisible God interrupted my temporal reality and offered me a gift of peace. Himself!
Have you ever noticed that life is always a blend of the temporal and eternal? Our present, physical circumstances and the Kingdom of God in our midst! In other words, we live in two realities all the time. One that we can see and touch, and the other — Invisible.
Loved, watched over, purposed and protected — always the Beautiful Reality next to us — even when we cannot see or feel it.
Stressors and joys, wins and losses, births and deaths happen in the context of God’s sovereignty. That’s HUGE because the Reality that God holds all of life all the time wants to ignite faith, refresh hope and become a place of peace in our midst.
When trials come, it is easy to live disintegrated (pulled apart) and narrowed to experiencing life in the temporal. Worry likes to pound its fist and insist we define reality strictly by what we can see and know. But any perspective void of the God in our midst will confine the soul and cut off hope.
I want the Truth of God, wise and powerful, kind and good, “over, above, in and through,” to infuse my days with drips of eternity!
I want God to break in and declare that He is always with me and that my life isn’t just about my life. It is about a victorious warrior who is building a Kingdom right in the middle of my “here and nows.” God is in our midst. He rejoices over us and surrounds our temporal realities with declarations of His presence, shouts of joy, and a gift of peace.
Himself!
“Thank you, Father, that you are the God in our midst! Awaken me to this reality, and help me enter into your good company today. For your exultations of joy and quiet love, that you rejoice and shout joy over me, thank you! Amen.”
How about you?
How do you pull the reality of God into your day-to-day life?
Do you need to remember that God is with you?
Does “busy” keep you from noticing God in your midst?
When was the last time you felt the reality of God surround you?
Knowing God and spending time in His Word renews our minds, refreshes our faith and helps us experience His Heart.
Worship
Oh Judy, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect refreshment for my soul then today’s writing. Such good reminders.
Sitting on Blake and Liza’s front porch two nights ago, I received the sweetest gift as I glanced up just in time to see a firefly. What miracles they are, and a sweet reminder of my early days in Connecticut. God seemed to be telling me once again to see him in the small things of my day.
Thank you, too, for the song. I sang it with the three youngest Buckmans last night as they got ready to go off to bed. I’m excited to play this video for them. They will enjoy seeing one of their favorite hymns performed!
Judy,
This was just what I needed today. Thank you so much!
Jasona
Judy:
Sarah and I always enjoy your devotionals. This one was especially timely. About a week ago, I tripped while working in my garden and landed flat on my front sidewalk. The force of the fall was taken by my hands and knees. I lay on the sidewalk for a few minutes recovering. While laying there, i was able to thank the Lord that I had put knee pads on both knees and had a glove on my right hand. The knee pads and the glove absorbed most of the force of the fall. Just a beautiful reminder that Jesus is with me even when I trip and fall in my front yard.
Dear friend,
I hope you are feeling better. You have given me refreshed gratitude for knee pads and gloves! I’m so glad you were wearing them and I’m ever grateful for God’s faithful presence when we are standing, sitting, and laying down. I sure do miss you and Sarah. Much love, Judy