Greetings! Yesterday we talked about the 'perfect storm'--the storms of life that God can use to shape and grow us. . . we looked at the storms that rocked Paul's ship and eventually wrecked it. Through it all, Paul trusted God. . . How?! Partly because an angel of the Lord spoke to Paul, (Acts 27.23,24), and told him the travelers would all get to Rome alive. But more than that, Paul knew that God had promised never to leave him, and he trusted in that. The anchor that held Paul secure was the felt presence of the Lord, and that presence was great comfort to Paul.

How about you--do you feel the presence of the Lord?

Oh, yes, I know you believe He exists, but since you can't SEE Him, can you at least FEEL His presence?

David, a man after God's own heart, speaks in Psalm 139 - Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I go from your presence? If I ascend into Heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.

Do you want to be near God, and know he is near you? Heed James' words: Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. James 4.8 Simple. Sure. So, how do we draw near?

?Look for Him ~ be aware of where He may be working around you. I've heard people pray for God to do or act in a certain way on

their behalf, such as the desperate prayer of a wife saying, 'Please God, my husband--(our family) needs a job!' And then, a job

magically appears. . . Magically? Are you kidding me? When you pray, expect God to act; when He does, thank him. He is present.

How do we experience the presence of God?

?Ask Him to reveal himself to you.

Since I was a little girl, I sang the song "This is my Father's World. . . and to my listening ears, All nature sings and around me

rings the music of the spheres. . ." Listen. . . Look. Nature reveals God's presence. . . Psalm 19. Check it out. The heavens

declare His glory!

?Settle yourself; become comfortable with stillness and a little silence.

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46.10

Be silent in the presence of the Lord God~ Zephaniah 1.7

How do we feel God's presence?

?Refrain from activities that would "grieve" Him - Do you believe that you can hurt the heart of God? Well, you can.

Our knowingly entering into sin hurts Him, and so does violating our conscience.

?Understand that he knows the pain of our trials ~ He is right there, when we are struggling. . .

People have asked, "Where is God in the midst of our pain and suffering?" Gordon MacDonald, a great Christian thinker/preacher of our day, commented that "God is right in the middle of our pain, bringing aid, comfort, peace to those who suffer. . . if they'll let Him. Immediately following 9-11, MacDonald spent some time at the World Trade Center site, and penned these thoughts: "And more than once I asked myself--as everyone asks--is God here? And I decided that He is closer to this place than any other place I've ever visited. The strange irony is that, amidst this absolute catastrophe of unspeakable proportions, there is a beauty in the way human beings are acting that defies the imagination. Everyone--underscore, everyone--is everyone else's brother or sister. There are no strangers among the thousands at the worksite. Everyone talks; everyone cooperates; everyone does the next thing that has to be done. No job is too small, too humble, or on the other hand, too large. Tears ran freely, affection was exchanged openly, exhaustion was defied. We all stopped caring about ourselves. The words "it's not about me" were never more true.

No church service; no church sanctuary; no religiously inspiring service has spoken so deeply into my soul and witnessed to the presence of God as those hours last night at the crash site.

In all my years of ministry, I never felt more alive than I felt last night. . . As much as I love preaching the Bible and all the other things that I have been privileged to do over the years, being on that street, giving cold water to workmen, praying and weeping with them, listening to their stories was the closest I have ever felt to God. Even though it sounds melodramatic, I kept finding myself saying, "This is the place where Jesus most wants to be."

Paul experienced the presence of God every time he suffered for his faith. God was present, and picked Paul up after he was stoned and left for dead in Lystra. God was present with Paul in prison. . . every time. Truly, there is an intimacy present in the tragic moments of our lives--one where God is present--if we but notice. Yes, there is a hush of holiness nearby. . .

as the fragility of our mortality is realized. I know. . . I have been there. . . God is present.

God speaks to us in our pleasures, whispers to us in our silence, but shouts to us in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world. (C.S. Lewis)

'Wonder if God is present? Oh, yes, I think He is. . . Christine