Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. — Isaiah 41:10 CSB I have been contemplating presence and the promise of God’s presence in our lives.
Jesus, himself, even promised to always be with us before his ascension into heaven (Matthew 28:20). When we consider the idea of divine presence, about Jesus being present with people, it’s not that God is waiting on our invitation to be here with us. It’s that Jesus is present and then invites people to be present with him.
Early in His ministry, Jesus invited the disciples and others to follow and come and see (Matthew 4:19). They spent the next three years present with Jesus. Living their lives alongside him.
And he alongside them. Being a chaplain, we are trained to be present with others, but any of us as followers of Christ, may be called to be present in someone else’s pain. And as we sit, it brings the question of how Jesus’s spiritual presence is mirrored in and through our physical presence? As we think about being present with people in their questions and pain, we can worry about getting it “right.
” I wonder how much our thinking might change if we considered that Jesus is with them already and is inviting us over to join him in helping. The process of being present with others in their grief and pain is less about us and more about Jesus. The promise f.