In Your Presence
By Joseph Cutler ·
There have been seasons in my life when everything looked strong on the outside — but inside, I was tired. Not tired from working hard. I’ve never been afraid of work. I was tired from carrying things I was never meant to carry alone.
There is something about the presence of God that changes everything.
It may not always change the room.
It may not always change the circumstance.
It may not always change the people around us.
But it changes us.
I have learned through the years that there are some things I cannot fix, some burdens I cannot carry by myself, some questions I cannot answer, and some storms I cannot calm. But I have also learned that when I get into His presence, I may walk in weak, but I do not walk out the same.
In His presence, fear begins to lose its grip.
In His presence, confusion starts to settle.
In His presence, the noise of life grows quieter, and the voice of God becomes clearer.
Sometimes we think we need God to explain everything before we can have peace. But many times, peace does not come from an explanation. Peace comes from His presence.
There have been moments in my life when I did not know what to say. I did not even know how to pray. All I knew to do was sit before the Lord and say, “God, I need You.”
And somehow, He was enough.
Not because the problem disappeared immediately.
Not because every answer came right away.
But because His presence reminded me that I was not alone.
That is what the presence of God does. It reminds the weary heart that there is still strength available. It reminds the broken heart that there is still comfort. It reminds the anxious heart that there is still peace. It reminds the lonely heart that heaven has not forgotten them.
The world teaches us to run to noise, activity, advice, distraction, and busyness. But the soul was never created to survive on noise. The soul was created to live in communion with God.
There is a place where striving stops.
There is a place where tears are understood.
There is a place where burdens can be laid down.
There is a place where the heart can breathe again.
That place is in His presence.
David said, “In thy presence is fulness of joy.” Not partial joy. Not temporary joy. Not joy that depends on everything going right. Fullness of joy.
That means the joy we are looking for is not found in perfect circumstances. It is found in the presence of a perfect Savior.
I do not want to live a life where I only visit God in emergencies. I want to walk with Him daily. I want His presence in my decisions, in my conversations, in my home, in my work, in my thoughts, and in my heart.
Because when I am in His presence, I remember who He is.
And when I remember who He is, I remember that I am going to be okay.
My Final Thought
The greatest peace in life is not found in having every answer. It is found in knowing that wherever I am, whatever I face, and whatever I carry, I can still come into His presence — and in His presence, I am never alone.