In the FoxHole, part VII
Practising God's Presence

In the FoxHole, part I - Strength before StrengthI
In the FoxHole, part II - Pain as TeacherI
In the FoxHole, part III - Waiting
In the FoxHole, Part IV - Strength in Christ
In the FoxHole, Part V - Learned Optimism
In the FoxHole, Part VI - Abiding in the Vine

I discovered more evidence that my preoccupation with transpropostionality is part of my effort to challenge my very own stringent propositionality. Longtime readers of emergesque know that I frequently harken back to the Abiding in the Vine theme, of which I blogged again yesterday. Some days ago, I realized that I think more about the concept of Abiding in the Vine than I do about the Vine Himself. This led me to think about God's actual presence with me and to realize that God is with me in the moment. God is present with me, but it's up to me if I, as Brother Lawrence wrote, practice the presence of God. I do this sometimes, but not nearly enough. It's critical to do so, especially when in stressful times.

There are a few passages I turn to to remind me of this importance of this spiritual discipline:

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Because God is with us, we can be confident and calm.

Psalm 16:8 (all passages ESV)

⁸I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

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Because God is with us, even as we struggle with pain and worry, we can have a deeper joy that sustains us.

Psalm 16:11

¹¹You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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He is with us at all times - past, present, and future. He directs his thoughts toward us.

Psalm 139:1-18,23,24

¹O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
²You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
³You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
⁵You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
¹¹If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,"
¹²even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

¹³For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there were none of them.

¹⁷How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

...

²³Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

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He is with us always and is the fulfillment of our greatest desire.

Psalm 73:23-28

23Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
24You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

Psalm 23

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures.He leads me beside still waters.
3He restores my soul.He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

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The Lord is as close to us as our shadow. He is our ever-present Protector and Deliverer.

Psalm 121

1I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

3He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 6The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

7The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

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Because He is ever with us, we can be content.

Hebrews 13:5,

5Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

We strive to remember His presence; He is with us; He is actually with us this very moment. This brings focus to all our activities. It prioritizes in real time. It balances all our concerns. It gives strength in the battle, perspective in loss, and humility in victory.