By: Casey Griffiths

There’s a classic cartoon that depicts the presence of God. I’m pretty certain you may have seen a version of this cartoon at some point in your life. The cartoon I’m thinking of depicts a character doing something naughty (thinking they are getting away with it) and in the background is the cartoonish image of God watching from a distance in judgement. Unfortunately, the reality is, this is exactly how many people view and experience God’s presence…as a watchful and judgmental overseer. And, while the Lord is in fact all-seeing and all-knowing, (stay tuned, if you attend our Beautiful Ministry we will be covering this attribute next week) the ever-presence of God can be and should be a blessing and encouragement to us as believers. Praise God, He is always with us! For me, God’s ever-presence is one of His most intimate and most comforting attributes. It’s God’s presence in my daily life that gives me peace even in the storm, and provides joy in any and all circumstances I face.

Psalm 46:1-3 is one of the passages that I go to when I need to be reminded of God’s comforting presence:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though it’s waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake in their surging”.

Psalm 46:1-3

The Psalmist recognizes that the presence of God is a refuge and is a strength. God is with us in any trouble! And we aren’t just talking about “I lost my keys” type problems. We are also talking about “the world is crashing in on me” or “I don’t know if I can make it through another day” troubles. Every one of us has experienced trouble in one form or another. Some of you are in the midst of deep and painful trouble as you read this. I’m reminding you right now, that God is with you. God’s precious gift of His ever-presence is available to all who are called His children. If you keep reading Psalm 46 you will see our Grace Family Church verse for 2025, Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God." You may be wearing the Grace Family Church “Be Still” bracelet. You may even recite this verse to yourself regularly. But my question to you is this…are you still living in a storm and trying to stay above water all by yourself? Or are you actually taking this passage to heart and clinging to and resting on the presence of God? Ladies, God deeply desires to live in fellowship with you! You are His daughter! And, wow, that is such a special and intimate relationship to have! Sister, you have access to God’s ever-presence every single moment of every day. He is your refuge and strength! Allow His ever-presence to dwell with you today and begin to truly understand what it means to “be still”.