God’s Presence By Day, Comfort By Night

“By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.”

— PSALM 42:8 (NRSV)

WHAT A GORGEOUS THOUGHT it is to be encouraged of God’s Presence. By encouragement I mean, how God lifts us, according to our need.

Most of the time we don’t know our needs – not truly. We try to know and we deduce inaccurately what it is, because we have a feeling; a sense for our need. We know its general direction and we go off in search for it.

One way we can be encouraged, rightly and with timeliness, is through attaining to the awareness of God’s Presence by day.

Presence By Day

Presence is a majestic thing we either have wind of or we don’t. Presence is the abiding influence of God. It either is or it isn’t. God cannot be present to us via our conscious minds if we are ‘illumined’ to disregard care or be actively stubborn, for just two instances.

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True life is a journey,

The preparedness to travel,

In realms not of geography,

But of understanding to unravel.

There is far more to be learned about life than what knowledge and experience can provide. Openness to the momentary calling of the Holy Spirit is the key accompaniment of The Journey. It’s not about being told what to do as much as it’s about being willing and able to discern. Key questions: Can God get through; will we listen through the ears of our hearts; what are we missing?

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Presence is that sense for the above – to incorporate the knowledge of God – and what God is saying (inaudibly) to us – so that, by discernment, we become aware and then, therefore, act.

Comfort By Night

As Presence is by day, Comfort comes by night. As one is cause (Presence), the other is effect (Comfort).

God gives one – Comfort – for the fact of Presence. Knowing we are in the lap of God’s definite will, because we have journeyed with his Holy Spirit to the discernment of his will, and because we have carried it out, there is Comfort.

Such a Comfort is deeply abiding and binding. Day is the designation of our action. Night is the designation of the consequences of our actions. Presence is our action. Comfort is our consequence.

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When we journey with God’s Presence, consistently abiding in his will, by the Holy Spirit, we are accorded God’s Comfort. Obedience begets the consequence of comfort.

© 2013 S. J. Wickham.