The Peace of Presence

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10a NLT).

My kiddos like to play a shadow game. They come in so close behind me that I can’t turn to the right or to the left without them following suit. They stick so close it’s impossible for me to go in any one given direction alone.

While the idea of a little one by your side at all times may sound overwhelming, there is peace in presence. When I know where my children are, it gives me comfort. In turn, if they know that I am nearby, they have the peace and knowledge that they are not alone and will always be taken care of. Isn’t it the same with our loving Father?

The world seems to be a lonely place right now with our isolation magnified. Spending time with the ones we love doesn’t necessarily look like it used to, even just a year ago. Many people are desperate and hurting, and these feelings of loneliness have become an epidemic.

Friends, we have the cure. He is Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). We can have incredible peace in knowing our Father is always with us. Isn’t that what we truly long for? The peace of knowing we are never, ever alone. Even in an unexpected turn, a difficult conversation, a devastating diagnosis, or a struggle we wrestle with moment by moment, He is with us. Because He is Emmanuel, we never turn to the right or the left alone. It is in His presence, we find His peace.

“Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me” (John 16:32b-33a NLT).

Father, thank You that You never leave us alone, even in the most difficult of times. Help us to always remember that in Your presence is peace.

~ Allison Gardner