What do we mean when we say “God showed up?” Is our assumption that He wasn’t there before and now He is? It sounds like it, even if that’s not what we mean.
God has promised He is with believers. He dwells within us individually as well as when we gather. So, when we claim that “God showed up” at a worship service or prayer meeting or even a personal situation, that belies the truth of His Presence with us. It diminishes our view of Him and reduces His Holy Presence to only what I can perceive.
The well-intentioned phrase, often coming from those who know better, may just mean that we see His movement. We see evidence of His Presence. Or maybe that we got to witness an extraordinary work of God. But our words have meaning and we may persuade ourselves, or those around us, that God is not there when we don’t have a desired experience.
I want my words to express that I accept fully the fact that He is with me even when I don’t see Him. I love it when God moves visibly among us. His graciousness abounds. But I want to encourage my own heart, as well as those around me, by declaring that His Presence is always near – even when, maybe especially when, He seems silent. Speaking the Truth is a good reminder of His ever present Presence.
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20
