The Overwhelming Importance of Understanding the Constant Presence of God with Us, and Not Being Afraid to Take Our Deepest, Darkest Secrets to Him!

17 Feb 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 139:23.        Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my anxious thoughts;

Then it was Tuesday, and the Family Day partying finish! But it still continues in places like Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and New Orleans, where the Carnival celebrations are now in full swing, with today being the last day of music, costumes and masqueraders on the streets, carrying on like leggo-beasts. Then tomorrow, we’ll all get pious and godly for Ash Wednesday. Hn! What a life we living!

But judging isn’t our department, it belongs to the Creator and Controller of the universe, and several scriptures speak to that situation like these. Isaiah says: ‘For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.’ (Is. 33:22) Meanwhile Hebrews tells us: ‘For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense (repay), saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.’ (Heb. 10:30)

Meanwhile James, the brother of Jesus puts it a bit sterner, when he writes: ‘Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy: who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:11-12) And that’s a very good question, which we will all have to answer on an individual basis.

Now, here is an interesting article from the ‘Consider This’ Section of this month’s In Touch Devotional, which can pertain to many of us. Please read with me: ‘Confronting sin is hard, isn’t it? At times it feels uncomfortable and scary. Lonely, even. But it doesn’t have to. Think about the closing verses of David’s prayer in Psalm 139: ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ (Ps. 139:23-24).

Such a frightening request – inviting God to examine our thoughts and motives, to uncover what lies beneath. But He is with us, even in those moments when we’d rather hide. He does not leave us to face anything alone. How do we know this? Go back and read Psalm 139 from the beginning. There you’ll find 18 verses that explore God’s with-ness, His unceasing presence and unfailing LOVE toward us. Like David, we can say to our Father, “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.’ (Ps. 39:5-6) We too, can take comfort in the Lord, knowing that even in our darkest moments, He remains beside us.’

Now how does all of that sit with us as individuals eh my fellow believers? Does it frighten us, or does it make us strong, in the knowledge that even when the Lord uncovers our darkest sins, He never leaves us, His presence is always with us? It should strengthen us, for remember what Moses said to the Israelites? ‘Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Deut. 31:6)

And it’s the same thing the Lord told Joshua when He made him leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Josh. 1:5) And it’s the very same thing the Lord is saying to us today my fellow believers. Regardless of what happens, or what we do, the Lord’s presence is, and will always be with us!

There’s no need to be afraid of walking this very stressful and dangerous life alone. We might be lonely, but we’re NEVER alone, for the Lord our God is always with us! And just that fact, ought to strengthen our sense of purpose and allow us to go on in good fashion. And as the article says, I hope you all took a moment to read the first 18 verses of Psalm 139, for it is a magnificent Psalm.

And I like how the scholars describe it: ‘Psalm 139. Certainly one of the grandest psalms in all of the Psalter, it is also one of the richest theologically. It combines an exposition of the greatness of God’s character with the reality of the human experience. From verses 19-22 we find that David wrote the psalm during a time of opposition. It therefore contains truths that were meaningful to him during these troublesome times. They may be summarized under four key thoughts as David addresses the Lord.: You know me (vs. 1-6); You are with me (vs. 7-12); You created me (vs. 13-18); and Your cause is my cause (vs. 19-24)’  

Ah friends, it is indeed a marvellous psalm, containing so much information about our relationship with God, and how we are continually in His presence from the moment we are formed in our mother’s womb…and even before. And I always remember my first introduction to the psalm. It was many years ago on the Hour of Power Programme from the Crystal Cathedral in California, when the greatest actor preacher, Dr. Robert Schuller, raised his hands and declared in such an amazing fashion:

‘Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.’ (Ps. 139:7-10) Yes, that was a pivotal moment in my life, and it reminds me of the words of Bruh Paul in Romans, where He’s talking about how the Word reaches listeners. ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!’  (Rom. 10:15b)

Oh my people, I hope and pray that what we’ve spoken of today will encourage and strengthen us in our faith-filled walk with Christ, because we can never get too much encouragement and confidence in these tremulous and uncertain times. Now, let’s go home declaring our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having said that, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…one thing we’re never lacking…that’s the divine presence of our God and Saviour…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Amazing Feeling One gets from being in the Awesome Presence of God!

02 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 16:11b.       in thy presence is fullness of joy;

So we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday, where we can loll around as much as we want with no activities to accomplish within a certain time period. And isn’t that a good feeling? It certainly is. But before we get started, I want to point out a couple of incidents that happened in the recent Halloween celebrations. First of all, two people were killed and six injured in a celebration in Orlando, Florida, while a razor blade was found in a chocolate bar in Cochrane, Ontario. 

And I’m sure those are not all the negative incidents that occurred because of the foolish celebration, but just those that reached the news media. What’s it going to take for us to cut out the pagan nonsense eh? What kind of evil society are we living in, if we can consciously put a razor blade in a chocolate bar that a child is going to eat. And I guess it won’t be banished until someone from the family of a high government official or one of the money men that profit from it suffers some negative repercussions from the unwise celebration. 

And now that I’ve had my say, (smile) let’s move on to the more pleasant aspects of the day, like offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And that’s a perfect prayer for a lazy-day Saturday, where we have the time to foment greater intimacy with our wonderful God. To simply bask in His awesome presence and listen to whatever He has to share with us. It’s a time to just run amok, as it were, in the awesome glory and presence of Almighty God! (smile) Yes friends, being in God’s presence is as good as it gets! And we ought to enjoy it while we have the opportunity. 

And I don’t mean we should use it as a time to complain and ask for stuff, but simply to enjoy being in God’s presence, like when you’re with a friend, whose company you enjoy, and you can just sit quietly and be happy, or do simple, joyful things together. The important aspect of it being the togetherness. That’s how we ought to spend this lazy time with our God…just being together with Him, and enjoying the joy that His presence brings. 

And there are numerous scriptures that talk about being in the Lord‘s presence and how good and joyful it can be. Like this verse from Psalm 16 – God Preserves His People. Bruh David ends it thus: ‘Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.’ (Ps. 16:11) 

Meanwhile the Sons of Korah put it like this in Psalm 84 – Rejoicing in God’s Tabernacle: ‘For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’ (Ps. 84:10-12) 

Then there’s Psalm 139, one of the grandest psalms in the psalter, where Bruh David recounts the omnipresence of our magnificent God. Now listen to these verses that speak of that presence. ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell. Behold thou art there. 

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. yea, the darkness hideth not from thee (is not dark to thee); but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.’ (Ps. 139:7-12) 

Wow! Our God is everywhere; be it day or night, be it in heaven or in hell; in the sea or on the earth! We simply cannot hide from His presence, although many of us still foolishly try to do it. And every time I read those verses or hear them read, I always remember the first time I heard them being acted out many years ago by Dr. Robert H Schuller in an ‘Hour of Power Sermon’ in the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. His actions and the words have stuck with me down through the years.  

And we have this faithful promise from God found in Hebrews: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake tee.’ (Heb. 13:5) Then James exhorts us: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10)

Yes my fellow believers, God’s greatest desire is for His human creation to draw near to Him, not be far away, but the truth is that in these trying times we need to avidly seek His presence, not wait for Him to come to us. Anyway, He’s already done that through the earthly work of Jesus; now it’s our turn to sincerely seek Him. And we’ll close with this marvellous promise from Jesus: ‘…and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ (Matt. 28:20b) 

Now we couldn’t want for a more faithful promise than that, especially since it’s been kept by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, to remind us of all that Jesus is, and to guide us to where He desires us to go. So let’s spend some time today and just consider the awesome presence of God in our lives nuh. We can never go wrong doing that! Much LOVE!

…in God’s presence…there’s always joy…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien