God’s presence in our lives is absolutely unchanging, but the evidence of His presence is not. On some occasions God may purposely alter the evidences of His presence to bring the most benefit from our experience. Sometimes we receive the most benefit from seeing many visible “prints” of His invisible hands during a difficult season. Other times we profit most from seeing fewer evidences. God does not love us less when He gives us fewer evidences. He simply desires to grow us up and teach us to walk by faith.
In Matthew 14:25-32 in the midst of a storm, Jesus came walking on the water. To his terrified disciples, He said: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (v. 27), but the storm continued to rage until He got into the boat. The point is not that we have nothing to fear but that His presence is the basis for our courage. Christ did not say, “Take courage! I am calming the storm. Don’t be afraid.” Instead, with the winds still raging, He said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Christ does not always immediately calm the storm, but He is always willing to calm His child on the basis of His presence. “Don’t worry! I know the winds are raging and the waves are high, but I am God over both. If I let them continue to swell, it’s because I want you to see Me walk on the water.” We’ll probably never learn to enjoy our storms, but we can learn to enjoy God’s presence in the storm!
Breaking Free, Beth Moore
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