In this place

Some days the first words we read resonate & reverberate within us- marinating throughout the day in our minds like dinner in a slow cooker! The words cause reflection & one thought ignites another.

I read a devotional based on Genesis 39 on the first 5 app. It was entitled ‘God is with you in this place.’

The story told how God was with Joseph in prison (v21)

Of course God is omnipresent-everywhere & all around:
‘We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.’
(CS Lewis)

And there are times when we are deeply aware of God’s presence. We may have an extra-special sense of God being with us in church or elsewhere during a time of worship.

I remember one Friday afternoon when the band were practicing before Focusfest, beautiful words & music filled the Waterfront auditorium:
‘We bow down & confess
You are Lord in this place’
(Viola Grafstrom)

The awesome sense of God’s presence was palpable. I acknowledged ‘You are Lord in this place’

But sometimes,like Joseph we find ourselves in unexpected & difficult places. Even in those dark,unwanted places, God is there.

Since being reminded of Joseph’s story, I’ve recalled some of the places this journey has taken me to so far:

I’ve felt under stress at work. I felt utterly spent & at the end of myself. I declared to my empty room & computer screen that I just couldn’t do this any more. Not. Even. One. More. Day.

God was with me in this place.

I’ve obeyed & gone where I believed God wanted me to go. But it was more difficult than I imagined & I felt more useless than ever before.

God was with me in this place.

I’ve had sleepless nights caused by uncertain diagnoses & worrying about precious family facing major surgery.

God was with me in this place.

I’ve been confined to the ward with devastating postnatal illness. I’ve faced the aftermath & painstakingly slow road to recovery.

God was with me in this place.

Throughout the pages of the Bible, there are many true stories of God being with His children in unexpected places:

In the flames of a furnace,
God was with Shadrach, Meshach & Abed-nego in this place.

In front of a giant,
God was with David in this place.

In the stomach of a whale,
God was with Jonah in this place.

If you are following Jesus as a child of God, He is with you in this place.

Wherever you are, He’s there too.

In this place of broken dreams & shattered hope.
In this place of grief, hardship, pressure & pain.
In this place of suffering

Wherever you are:
God is there with you & even more astoundingly within you!

This place, this unexpected, dark, difficult ,unwelcome place that you find yourself in, may be a place of blessing in disguise:

‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
(Blessings– Laura Story)

At times we may feel we are free-falling to this place, but we are being held by the everlasting arms of our Heavenly Father. He holds the planets in orbit in this universe & so, we can hold on to Him with trust & hope in this place.

If you find yourself in one of those places today, remember:
‘Circumstances may appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans,
but God is not helpless among the ruins.’
(Eric Liddell)

‘All our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestations of His grace, power & love’
(Hudson Taylor)

Blessings,

Ruthx