A VERY PRESENT

A VERY PRESENT
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.Psalm 46:1 (NASB)

I heard the front door close and silence wrapped around the house like a soft throw on a chilly fall morning.  Marc and the dogs were headed to the dog park and I planned to exercise while they were out.  My feet hit the floor but before I could begin pulling on my exercise clothes, I heard a familiar voice beckon me to sit with Him.   I was momentarily torn but knew I could take a walk later in the day while solitude was not easily found these days.  I picked up my Bible and other quiet time supplies and headed down the hallway.

I arrived at the Well and smiled as I sat down in the soft glow of lamplight.  I opened my Bible and turned to the place I had marked in the Psalms, the pages making that wonderful crinkly sound as they turned.  He whom my soul loves was there waiting for me.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Lord,” I replied.

I turned my attention to the words in Psalm 46 and began to read.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

The words “a very present” seemed to have been highlighted and underscored by an unseen hand, inviting me to kick off my hurriedness and sit a spell.  I began to look at them this way and that when my imagination stepped in to offer its perspective.  I closed my eyes and peered through the darkness as the scene unfolded.

A child’s scream pierced the darkness followed by frightened cries that made their way through the closed door. They sped down the hallway, rushing passed pictures on the walls, around the corner to where large double doors stood like sentries in the night.  But even these heavy doors could not prevent the cries from reaching their destination.

“Daddy” she cried, the terror evident in each syllable.

Had the child been quiet she would have heard familiar footfalls as lights came on, chasing the darkness that had only a moment ago threatened and held all things horrifying to her small life.  Strong arms reach down and scoop her up, holding her against his chest while a gentle hand smoothes hair, damp with fear’s perspiration, away from her small furrowed brow as he presses his lips to her ear and whispers, “Daddy is here.”

As dad-size fingers wipe her tears, she hears it.  She nestles closer, her small ears longing to hear more clearly.  Her sobs begin to still and she closes her eyes as she listens.  Her daddy’s heartbeat pours comfort through her soul and with each beat tells her he is not only with her, but holds her.  Her eyes grow heavy and she lets them close, knowing she is in the strong arms of her very present Daddy.

I opened my eyes as the imagery of a daddy holding his precious daughter lingered while I continued reading Palm 46.  He had used His heavenly highlighter to mark other phrases.  I love how He does that.

•  A very present…
•  God is in the midst…
•  God will help…
•  The Lord of hosts is with us
•  Cease striving and know that I am God

I sat very still as dawn slipped in through the windows and the birds greeted the new day with their song.  We sat together for a good while as He continued speaking to me of His Very Presentness.

I read the list I had made and turned it into a prayer.  You can borrow it if you like.

Lord, I am so glad I am your daughter and that You meet me in the pages of Your Word.  I needed to hear Your heartbeat this morning to remind me that You are in the midst of my circumstances and that You will help me.  You are the Lord of hosts and You are with me.  When darkness surrounds me like a shroud, I need not fear. When I cry out You promise to hear.  Help me especially in those times to have an attentive ear that hears Your familiar footfall as You scoop me up in Your strong arms and I can lean my weary head against You as You whisper, “Daughter, I am here.”   Your promises rise up from Your Word—Your whispered assurances that invite me to know, to trust, to rest, to cease my striving and know that You are God—A very present Abba (Daddy).  Amen.

The front door opened and in ran two dogs and a husband, the silence replaced by the sounds of family.  I rose to greet them and walked into the new day, knowing I was not walking into it alone, but He who is a Very Present Father was with me.

An Original Conversations at the Well
© Copyright by Diana Morgan, October 13, 2012