The Presence

Our yearning: to be cherished as God’s children (Read Isaiah 43:1-7)

As spoken by the prophet . . .
Fear not for I have redeemed you . . . when you pass through the waters I will be with you . . . when you walk through the fire you will not be burned (Isaiah 43:1-2).

As seen in Jesus . . .
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20)

Now given to you . . .
The route I drive every morning on my way to work takes me by some of the most beautiful homes in Atlanta. Last week, one of them went up in flames. There isn’t much left of it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the utterly destructive power of fire. And the violence of burning lingers long after the fire itself. Almost 48 hours after the night of the fire, the site was still smoldering as I drove home.

That image stays with me as I read the words of the prophet. “When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” What I wish the prophet had said was that we would not have to deal with the fire – not get anywhere near it. God’s promise to us provides no such assurance. What we are told is that the intensity of the flames can never consume the reality of God’s presence. The prophet’s words assume that we will walk through fire, pass through threatening waters that could sweep us away. This is a given – but so is the presence. The presence of God trumps the flood, douses the flames.

But here’s our struggle: the interpretive skills by which we make sense of life are not what they should be. We read the fire and raging waters as indicators of God’s absence. The flames burn and the rivers rise and sweep away, and we take this to mean that God never really claimed us as his children. If he had, he’d have done a better job of keeping us clear of those threats. We get it wrong.

If we want to know with certainty that we are God’s children we need to pass through the flames and the waters that threaten us. The trouble we live through is an occasion for God’s presence to become more than theory, more than a comforting thought or nice idea.

Maybe today you’re feeling the heat of a threat, choking on the smoke of something that’s gone wrong, barely keeping your head above circumstances that are nearly smothering you. Typically we look for a way out. God invites us to make our way through. God is present with us. In prayerful stillness we become present to God.

Prayer:
We give you thanks, O God, for your faithful presence in all things. May we know ourselves as your children in both trouble and in blessing. Use whatever this day may bring to confirm who we are in you. In all things help us to be present to you and your steadfast love. Amen.