In His Presence Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kelli
Do you ever wonder how you can make a difference in this world?
What is it that you and I have to offer?
What are we called to do?
I am always in awe of those who travel to third world countries, feeding the hungry and teaching them the Gospel.
I do not feel like I can measure up to missionaries who travel the world and leave their homes behind.
That seems like Mission Impossible.
But if God created the whole world, isn’t everywhere we walk Holy ground?
Isn’t everywhere we go part of His global mission field?
Read the words from Genesis 1 New Living Translation (NLT) Genesis 1:1-12 NLT
We do not need to go far to take His message to others.
The world is His mission field.
True, some of us will travel far.
For others, we may only go as far as Main St, Hometown USA.
For all, our mission field starts the moment we step out of bed in the morning...in our own
homes.
But sharing HIs message and His love with others is not always met with acceptance.
Sometimes people shy away from us even at the mention of the name of Jesus.
It feels like Mission impossible some days.
It can be frustrating.
It can even deter us from wanting to share.
But in His word, God tells us we are only responsible for planting seeds.
Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed
“Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around
him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.
He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one in Mark 4.
It is not up to us what others do with the seeds of faith we plant.
The growth is ultimately up to God.
The planting of the seeds is about our act of obedience toward our Heavenly Father.
The sharing of His love with others is about our love for Him and want to share that love with others.
It is what we are all called to do.
No matter where we live, no matter where we are.
It may not be in another country, it may be with your neighbor or with the person you work with each day. It may be someone God puts in your pathway when you least expect it.
But because we are always on Holy Ground, we always have an opportunity to take His word to others and plant seeds wherever we go.
And do not worry about how the seeds will grow..that is up to God.
That makes our mission possible.
“After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. “
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (NLT)
Let’s get planting!
Some days there are no words.
Only heavy sighs.
There is nothing that can be said that will ease the sorrow that is in front of us.
Maybe you have seen this kind of pain.
Maybe you have experienced this kind of pain.
Loss of a job, the end of a marriage, a life changing diagnosis, the death of a loved one...
And even if you find something to say, it is not your words that will be remembered .
It will be your presence.
God tells us in Ecclesiastes that two are better than one
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls,
the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two
people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone?“
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
But it is more than just showing up.
It is about being fully present
Not the quick glance of your life given by the 300 “friends” that you might have on FB.
I am talking about the people who move from behind their screens and actually show up.
The ones who sit in the hard places with each other...like Job’s three friends.
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.
They traveled from different places to be with Job when they learned he was suffering.
And they needed no words.
Job’s Three Friends Share His Anguish
11 When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and
traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite,
Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. 12 When they saw Job from a distance, they
scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over
their heads to show their grief. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and
nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.”
Job 2: 11-13 NLT
So often we think we need to have the right words to say, believing that these words might ease
the pain.
But Job’s friends did not utter a word.
They laid on the ground with him for seven days and nights.
They were present.
Profoundly present.
They sat with Job, deep in his pain.
They did not move away, they moved toward him.
They stayed with him in the hard places.
I need friends like that.
I need to be a friend like that.
Some people say that the Bible is dated, antiquated, not relevant today.
But friends, look around.
We all know someone like Job.
Maybe we have been like Job.
In a world where personal contact is lost behind phone screens and laptops, I fear that we are
losing the ability to be profoundly present with each other.
A lesson in friendship comes from this timeless book ...His Word.
One day there is no more pain or suffering.
“ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed
away. There was no more sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. It was coming down out
of heaven from God. It was made ready like a bride is made ready for her husband. I heard a
loud voice coming from heaven. It said, “See! God’s home is with men. He will live with them.
They will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will be their God. God will take away
all their tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All the old things have
passed away.” Then the One sitting on the throne said, “See! I am making all things new.
“Revelation 21: 1-6
Until that day comes ...we need to be there for each other.
Be present for someone today.
Be profoundly present.
“It’s just like a bump in the road.”
That is how Mom described the turbulence on a plane the first time we flew together.
Her description calmed me.
Now at 49, flying solo to the She Speaks Studio in North Carolina, it was the pilot who calmed my fears when we hit some unexpected bumps in the road.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the tower has reported that all the planes in the area are experiencing greater turbulence than normal. But we should be out of it in approximately 10-15 minutes and then there will be smooth skies after that until we reach our destination.”
Wouldn’t it be helpful if all of the bumps we experience in life came with some narration like that ? Maybe we would face difficulties head on if we knew that they might only last 10 minutes and there were clear skies ahead.
But the author of our lives tells us to be prepared for the bumps in the road.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” John 16:33
We may not know the details about how many bumps in the road we will experience on life’s journey, but we are assured that He is with us.
“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
Sometimes we are not sure who we can turn to when we face these challenges, but you can always find safety in His presence.
“You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.” Job 11:18
Sisters, the bumps in the road we each face may be different. Some may last longer than others, some may run deeper. But if you seek Him, He will navigate you through each one, never leaving your side.
Knowing Him empowers us to embrace this truth: we are never alone, never unloved.
And when life becomes turbulent, you can say with confidence,
“It’s just like a bump in the road.”
Amen.
The long narrow road was framed by the window of the airplane.
It seemed to go on for miles.
No one could get lost on this road, not even me, I quietly whispered to myself.
My thoughts drifted back to childhood, when our GPS systems were maps and landmarks.
Flipping through the pages of my Dad’s AAA books, for whatever region we were visiting, to find hotels and restaurants provided countless hours of entertainment for me growing up.
Dad knew all the roads and interstates.
Even if we somehow got turned around (meaning he decided to let my Mom drive for awhile), he always knew how to get us back on the right road.
You could always count on him asking one question when someone returned from a trip:
“Which way did you go?”
Dad had a keen sense of direction, a trait that I did not inherit.
He taught me that if I got lost and could find Route 80 or 95, I could always find my way home.
Traveling is not the only time I get lost.
I have found myself in situations or circumstances that seem far from my intended destination.
At times my path has not been a smooth and straight road, but instead one that has bounced me around bumps and curves, leaving me with doubts that I could find my way back.
Thomas had his doubts as well when Jesus told him He was going to prepare a place for him.
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “ I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 4: 1-6
And just like my Dad provided me with directions to get back home, our Heavenly Father gives us a way to always get back home to HIm : through His son, Jesus.
Friends, do not be troubled today.
There is always a way back home.
They were a tangled mess.
How did that happen so quickly?
My headphones were in knots.
The cord looked like a pile of spaghetti noodles.
Would I be able to listen to my music if they were that twisted?
Would I be able to hear?
Looking at this tangled mess, I began to reflect on my own thoughts.
One minute, they are clear, confident, focused.
And then in what seems like a nanosecond, chaos takes over.
My thoughts are unsteady, uncertain, all over the place.
Just like that tangled mess.
How did I get here so quickly?
One minute I am confident in who I am and Whose I am, praising Him.
The next minute I am anxious and fearful, wondering if I matter at all.
Have you ever felt like that?
On a good day, I can stop that train before it ever leaves the station.
I do not let those thoughts penetrate my heart or my mind.
I strike back quickly with the “sword of truth” …
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) or “If God can be for you, who can be against you?” (Romans 8:31). I have a little come to Jesus meeting in my head and say “not today, Satan, not today.”
But then there are those other days when it takes longer for me to pick up the sword. I don’t even realize that I am under attack. When I let my guard down, it is easy for the lies to chip away at my confidence. Doubt begins to penetrate my thoughts.
My trigger word is enough. My thoughts become twisted, just like the cord.
“You don’t do enough.” “You aren’t a good enough mother, wife, friend…” The list goes on and on. Before I know it, I am far away from who I am and more focused on who I think I should be.
Dear sisters, this is the very distraction that pulls us away from the One who gave us life.
If we are too busy trying to be everything to everyone, trying to measure up, we forget we are already everything to Him. We become like that tangled mess. And when are thoughts are a tangled mess, it becomes harder to hear His truth.
In my head and heart, I know this. And when it happens for the up-teenth time, I always come back to the same question: how did I get here again? How can I keep from coming back?
The answer is simple-spend more time with Him and in the Word. Jesus went off on His own to spend time with the Father. He needed the comfort and wisdom of God over the clamoring of the crowd. Sisters, we need that same time to curl up in our Father’s lap to remind us who we are. I pray that each of us takes the time to spend with Him daily.
Now, to untie that cord…..