Tag: God’s presence

Overwhelmed

On By vickleaIn Scripture7 Comments

Have you ever had one of those “I Love Lucy” days in which one unforeseen circumstance follows another? If you remember those episodes, which were frequent, Lucy generally cried at the end.

That was sort of what I looked like yesterday after a really rough day.

Harry and I had to get up very early to get to an appointment with my ophthalmologist in town, over an hour’s drive away. We did that, made it to the appointment a little early and I was delighted that the tech took me back to check me early. I needed to finish this appointment on time because I had an early afternoon appointment with my neurologist about my leg going numb. The game at the ophthalmologist became one of waiting. I was taken back, did a test and returned to the waiting room. Multiple times. Finally, I got to see the doctor and he gave me the good news that my macula hasn’t changed in the last year and all is good with my eyes. I was happy about that since I had been anxious about the results.

We then headed to my neuro appointment and we made it there on time, too. I really like my neurologist who has been my specialist since my stroke eleven years ago. Anyway, he asked questions, put me through a battery of uncomfortable tests and concluded that I likely have a pinched nerve in my back causing my leg’s numbness. He gave me a referral to a spinal specialist (another specialist!), a referral for an MRI of my spine (another MRI!), a referral for physical therapy (again, a repeat), and an order to return for an EMG on April 8th. So, I left his office feeling overwhelmed.

Now, let’s get this straight. I prayed before each medical appointment and Harry prayed with me. I knew that something was wrong, of course, but I was just not ready to hear another diagnosis of something else broken in my body. I just got my second cortisone shot for my torn rotator cuff in my shoulder a week and a half ago, so I am still dealing with that pain daily (mostly nightly, when I try to sleep). And now this diagnosis. I wish I could say that I was praising God on the way home and thankful that I had an answer to the numbness. Instead, I started crying and Harry couldn’t console me with his words about our just getting older and things break down.

On the way home, the “idiot lights” came on in the car. I must say that we drive an older car (it wasn’t old when we got it, but it is now) so this was not new. It was just one more thing. So, the crying continued and Harry tried to console me with the fact that the car is also old. Not helping!

We made it home, Teya was there and had just gotten back from her run that she tries to do daily. She was getting ready for a shower and I was getting ready to lie down since I got up before 5 and it was not almost 4 in the afternoon. Suddenly, I heard Teya call for me rather frantically, so I rushed to find out what the problem was. The hot water faucet was detached and hot water was spewing everywhere in the bathroom. It was too hot to try to re-attach the faucet and turn it off, so I went to find the main water valve and shut it off. I located it behind a hatch of sorts, moved the things out of the way that Harry had decided to place there and got the hot water off. Yay! All the while, I think I must have been thinking, “Are you kidding me, God? Don’t I have enough on my plate right now?” Harry, of course, was nowhere to be found since he was wandering around the yard planning his garden. (He deals with stress by gardening, I do so by reading.) I found Harry, told him what was going on and Teya tried to reattach the faucet. She did so successfully and then Harry checked it and said it seemed to be okay for me to turn the water back on. I did and that seemed to work.

By that time, I was really overwhelmed with everything and planned to rest, but I had to eat to take medicine, so I ended up staying awake for several more hours, not really happy about life and its circumstances that day.

I have to confess that I cried myself to sleep, telling God honestly that I was just “up to here” with problems. I have always known that God knows how I feel anyway, so I may as well be honest with Him. I woke up at 4, and prompted by the Holy Spirit, I prayed for my niece who is in premature labor and tried to go to sleep again. I was still feeling overwhelmed, like I just did not want to face a new day. When I finally rolled over about 6 or so and decided to get up, I followed my usual pattern of thanking God for a new day and praying for a few minutes, waiting silently for Him to speak to my heart. He spoke a song into my heart that I haven’t heard or sung in many years. So appropriate for me!

God Will Make a Way-Don Moen

The bottom line is that circumstances have not changed. I have not changed. My shoulder hurts, my leg is numb, my back hurts and I am getting older even as I type this. What is changing is that I haven’t lost hope. As I talked to God this morning, not only did He give me a song, He also showed me a vision of my hanging onto a rope that was breaking and as I swung precariously over a cliff at the end of that rope, I looked up and there was the Lord holding on to the other end. God is still right there. He knows what is happening, and He is holding me as steadfastly as possible, even at the end of my rope, in high winds and with a cliff below me.

If you need a lifeline today, just know that God,who loves everyone equally, can be your source of hope and strength too. As I said, my circumstances haven’t changed, and if I focus on what is happening, I again feel overwhelmed. But I know deep within me that God is in control of the outcome, so I can let go of that rope. He will catch me…and you!

Joy and Hope

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I apologize for being absent for a couple of days. I needed the break time since my family was here. Both my son and daughter, their spouses and our grandchildren came over on Christmas Day. We had a full house and full hearts. I may skip a few days now and then as I wait for inspiration, but I will return and hope that you will continue to look for my posts.

This is a quotation I found from Charles Spurgeon when I was looking for another quotation. Isn’t this the truth? We hope that when we have a new government, things will get better, less chaotic. In some ways that is true. But the President and his men are not the source of our hope. Only Jesus offers hope that is there for us anytime we reach out to Him.

2025 has been a challenging year for me, with a broken foot and now a possibly messed up rotator cuff. The pain is teaching me a lesson about being patient and taking things easy instead of pushing myself. Not being able to reach up to get things is a real pain for me because I don’t like to ask for help. But I am learning that it’s okay to admit that I am not as self-sufficient as I would like to be. The foot is healing well, but it leaves behind a reminder of the almost three months I had to wear a clunky ortho boot. The reminder is also painful; my hamstring is pulled and causes frequent pain. Starting when I was wearing the boot, I assumed the pain would dissipate once I stopped wearing it, but it’s still there, a constant reminder that I suffered an injury that is still healing. Whatever the last year brought you, I hope that you were able to continue to experience joy in the presence of the Lord. He is my joy, in spite of the pain. As I age, I find myself spending more time on reflecting on the gifts that God has given us, and one of them is joy. Just like hope, we have to spend time in God’s presence in order to feel the joy that bubbles inside us, ready to spring out.

God is present with us! Are we present with Him? Check your hope and joy; they are like barometers for your time with Him.

God’s Presence

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, testimony4 Comments

I lean into the presence of God when I am lonely, afraid, discouraged or just plain tired. At no time in my life’s journey has God ever forsaken me; rather, as I lean harder on Him, He becomes a stronger comfort for me.

I know I have said on this blog before that I have moved twenty-five times since our marriage almost fifty two years ago. What I did not tell you was how each move took a little bit of stability away from me. I had lived in one home for most of my life, from early childhood until I graduated from college. That hometown was all I knew and the familiar places were what spoke security to me. Then, when we got married, we began a series of moves, some harder than others and all of them challenging in their own way. God gave me a promise as I faced one move after another. Sometimes, we stayed in a place for a couple of years, sometimes only a year, and once or twice for as many as four years. The scripture that God spoke to my heart reassured me that the place was new, the people were new, but He would always be the same.

This is what God actually told the Israelites as they were getting ready to wander around in the wilderness on their way to the promised land. It is also what God told me as I once again packed boxes, suitcases and bags to prepare for another move. I was exhausted from taking care of the children, feeling almost like a single parent since everywhere we went, my husband was generally sent for some kind of training while I stayed in a new place with the children. God reassured me of His presence because I needed to know that I was not alone. When I had to move from a small apartment that was temporary while we waited for military housing, I was overwhelmed with all that I had to do. The apartment was furnished. The base housing was not. I was in a new place with few friends and no family except for a small child and one on the way. So, I did what I was comfortable doing and called the pastor of the church that I had been attending for the few months I had lived there. He got a group of people who rallied around found furniture for me and moved me into the new place on base. I don’t recall everything about that move, but I do remember the unselfishness and kindness of God’s people and the thought that God was indeed with me. When I gave birth alone in the naval hospital (my husband was on a ship floating around on the other side of the world), a neighbor took me to the hospital and took care of my daughter until my friend from church could come and take care of her. God’s presence is real and He sends His helpers to be there right on time.

I have clung to God’s promises for over five decades, through all of the moves, the fear and the loneliness and the feeling of being uprooted constantly. God has always been there for me. It was His presence that calmed me when I had a stroke and no one could get my husband to answer his phone. It was His presence that spoke peace to my heart when I was unable to speak and tell the doctors what was happening to me. I could not speak, but I could pray. And when Harry made it to the ER (he had been in the garden and didn’t hear his phone), it was God who spoke to both of us telling us that my best chance for survival was a clot-busting shot that could also kill me if it did not work. Peace, God’s assurance, hope, safety and security. All these years later, God’s Word has never failed me and His presence has gone with me to eleven different states and twenty-five different homes. He is my home. He is my rest. He is my everything.

Be Aware

On By vickleaIn Scripture, testimony, YouVersion App2 Comments

The Presence of God (YouVersion Daily Refresh)

The writer of Psalm 27 is intentionally focusing on one of the most important aspects of our spiritual life. Throughout Scripture, we learn about the importance of the presence of God. 

It is in the presence of God that we find strength and hope (Psalm 27:1). It’s also in God’s presence that our enemies lose their power over us (Psalm 27:2-3).

In Psalm 27:4 the writer of the Psalm expresses his desire to dwell within the house of the Lord, to gaze upon God’s beauty and be in His presence in the temple. In the Old Testament, the presence of God was primarily within the temple. But through spending time with God, the Psalmist found hope and restoration for his soul.

Thanks to Jesus, God’s presence is no longer confined to the temple. His presence is now available to us through the Holy Spirit who dwells within believers. We now have access to God’s presence at any time.

Just like the writer of the Psalm desired to dwell within God’s presence, we also should desire to be with God as much as possible. It is in God’s presence that we find hope, joy, beauty, and the restoration of our weary souls.

It is important that we spend time with God each and every day. We can do this through regularly reading Scripture and reflecting on what we read. We can also spend time in prayer, talking to God about what is happening in our life. Another way to spend time in God’s presence is to simply be aware that He is with you through your daily tasks each day.

My Thoughts

To be honest, I used to go through my days vaguely aware that God was walking with me throughout the day. These days, as my health concerns increase and my days and night are all mixed up from lack of sleep, I am constantly aware that God is with me. He is with me when I awaken in the morning and my first thought is to thank Him for giving me some rest. He is with me as I count out the meds, use my nebulizer and cough my way through another day. I keep thanking God for each breath He has given me.

Last night I got to do an online chat with our daughter and grandchildren. What a blessing to see their smiling faces and to hear their voices! I could see God working in each of their lives and I felt so peaceful as I listened and participated in the celebration of Tyler’s birthday.

There are so many things that I have to be thankful for, but the one that stands out is that God is right there beside me. He knows my frustration at not being able to attend church in person since I have to stay near meds that help me breathe. He has been wrapping me in warm hugs of encouragement and love. I don’t like not being able to go out but I do like feeling God’s presence so close to me that I whisper His name and can almost audibly hear Him say, “I am right here.”

God is good, all the time. He is present, all the time. Sometimes we are more aware of His nearness, just when we need to feel His closeness to us, He shows us. I don’t know how to explain it other than the peace and calm that comes when it is totally unexpected, like a wonderful surprise that you knew was coming but you didn’t know when it would arrive. The expectation of God’s presence is awe-inspiring, but the awareness of His being there all along is nothing short of glorious!

Going In and Coming Out

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

Sometimes it is hard to be a good witness to others. I get really frustrated and tired at times. I think the reason is that I have to spend more time with God and ask Him to help me to see other people the way He sees them.

Moses and Aaron were the leaders of the Israelites, appointed by God to lead them away from Egypt. Before they went before the people that they were leading, they had to first go before God themselves. Once they did the preparation, they were ready to tackle the task and God showed His approval by sending His glory before all of them.

I am no Moses or Aaron, but if I am going to be an effective minister to others, in any capacity, I have to first appear before God myself. I need to spend time in prayer and worship and in His Word. My time with God needs to be quality time, not just to “get it done” and move on to the next thing. I know that God is there with me, but when I leave my prayer chair, I want to know that He goes with me so that what I speak and what I do is pleasing to Him. I am aware that I often disappoint the Lord because I miss opportunities that He has given me to serve and to say. I don’t want that to be the pattern of my life. Rather, I want the pattern to be one of taking what I get from God to others who need Him as much as I do.

If all I do is go into God’s presence and I never come out in to the world to serve, I am not fulfilling His plan for me in the world that He created. So, my prayer is that I can be a faithful servant who goes in with God and comes out with Him, too, ready to share and to be His ambassador to a hurting world.

Get Near to God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

Today’s devotional was all about getting close to God and resting in His presence. I have always had a tendency to have my entire day planned out. From the time I wake up each morning, my mind is racing with the schedule for the day and how to get everything done. God is calling me to rest in His presence. It’s not in being busy that I will find Him; it is in the quiet moments that I spend resting in His presence. Recently, I have been spending what I consider some quality time with God each morning. I am doing a Bible study on prayers in the Bible. As I find a prayer in my reading, I am writing it down and really thinking about what the person was praying. I am also starting to intentionally memorize scripture verses again. I kept making the excuse that my brain will not allow me to remember verses, but I found that when I actually focus and try, that is not true. My goal is a verse per week. Not a lot, I know, but for me, it’s a good start. I am also finding myself to be eager to get to my Bible study each morning. The Bible didn’t change…I did! I want that time with God as much as I want a drink of water when I am thirsty. Some mornings with medical appointments are hectic, but I just cannot start my day without my God time. And it’s not a “hurry up and get it done so I can do other things” kind of time. The time with God is a time of peace and relaxation for me, a time of reflection, a real quiet time where I can talk to God and then listen for Him to talk to me. I want my time with the Lord to be a dedicated time just for us to talk like friends. He already knows my heart; I desire to know His and the only way to do that is to get close to Him.

Here is the devotional I did today that started me on this blog post today:

www.bible.com/reading-plans/18910/day/2

Isn’t this what we all desire…for God’s presence to go with us throughout the day and for His rest to be a part of our lives?

Bless the Lord

On By vickleaIn praise, Scripture, Video1 Comment

Think about what it means to bless the Lord at ALL times. When we are on the mountaintop looking down at all of our past troubles, I think it’s easier for us to bless the Lord. What about when we are in the middle of the valley experience and the top of the mountain seems far away or even unattainable? Do we still bless the Lord then? Are we still praising Him when we walk through the dark forest of our lives, not knowing where our next step might lead but aware of danger or circumstances beyond our control all around us? Note that this verse starts with a choice…I will. We choose to bless God at all times, to never let praise be far from us. With the praise of God continually coming from our lips, the situations we face won’t seem so daunting or scary. We know He is right there with us, in that valley and those dark woods.

I wish I could say that I have arrived at the place where I always make the right choice to praise God in spite of circumstances. But, that wouldn’t be true. I am a work in progress and sometimes the Spirit has to remind me to stop whining and to praise. That’s where the joy is found…right where God is. The Bible consistently exhorts God’s people to praise. So, if you need God right where you are, choose to praise.

I Will Bless The Lord-Josue Avila

Have a blessed Sunday…go to church and worship and bless His Holy Name!

Anxiety or Peace

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/45776/day/3

Every day, I have to choose whether I will deal with life’s daily challenges with anxiety or peace. I know that some days are more difficult than others to choose correctly and sometimes I get started on the wrong foot, listing to God all the reasons that I should be anxious instead of the reasons why I know He is there and that He is my peace. We have to make a conscious choice to focus on God’s presence with us, knowing as I have said many times, “Nothing is going to happen today that God and I cannot handle together.” The saying is in my mind. And I am working on getting it deep into my heart, with the knowledge that God’s presence is with me all the time, but especially in the hard times when I need Him most.

Overwhelming and Overbearing

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/13

I really needed this reminder today that God is with me, especially in the really tough times. My husband and I had looked forward to a visit for weeks from two of our granddaughters. Our daughter dropped them off before going to visit Liberty University with her older daughter. Thursday was an okay day, talking, making plans and watching movies (after we did schoolwork). Then came Friday and some kind of stomach bug to start the day. And to continue throughout the day. I was at the doctor’s office for my check up when I got multiple texts from my daughter to check on T4. So, I tried to call my husband who was at home with them. No answer. (Turns out he was in the shower). Eventually, I got hold of my husband, my daughter talked to me and told me T4 and T5 were both throwing up and didn’t see Grampa around. I got home, gave them water and crackers…more sick. Waited. More crackers. More sick. Five loads of laundry later, the girls went to bed to watch a movie and rest and I fell into bed exhausted. All of our plans were gone. I was feeling overwhelmed…not from terror but from discouragement. God spoke peace to my heart and told me just to be there to love them and let them know that I would take care of them and that their mom is only a phone call away. This morning is an “iffy” morning. No sickness during the night, so we tried dry cereal for breakfast and will see how the day goes. We travel tomorrow to meet their mom and give them back. This will be a memorable visit, not because of all of the fun we had but because of all the love and care we got to show. God is always there, even when we are feeling totally bummed out.

God Is Always With Us

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App4 Comments

I had a pastor who spoke about God being always present and with us. He reminded us, just as I remind myself almost daily, that God never changes. So, he asked us, “If God seems distant from you, who do you think moved?” It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was the culprit when I felt that God was distant. I had busied myself with everyday tasks, not bad things but a lot of things and put God on a back burner. then a crisis would come up and I would call on God, frantically seeking His help and presence, but He would seem distant. Why? Because I had not established a firm relationship of calling on Him daily, praising Him, spending time with Him. God was still exactly where I had left Him and I was the one who needed to get closer. I am blessed to report that those were the days of my youth. I still have troubles, but I run to God first and tell Him exactly how I am feeling, even if it is that I need Him closer to me during my trials (especially physical ones these days). I know many of you can relate to what I am saying here, so if you feel that you are no longer as closer to God as you once were, ask yourself the question, “What can I do to get back to where I was before and even closer to my Maker?”

God Is with You

Have you ever asked God, “Where are you?”

Some days it can feel like you’re walking alone through life. It can seem like God is not present or with you. Or maybe it feels like He has deserted you in a difficult time.

The nation of Israel experienced many moments like this. They cried out to God in the midst of pain and exile. They were honest in their prayers to God—they told Him exactly how they felt in the midst of hardship.

In turn, God spoke to them through the prophets. He spoke words of comfort and hope. He reminded them of His promises, and that His character never changes.

While it can sometimes seem like God deserts us, we know from His promises that He is always with us. Through life’s loneliest times or most difficult seasons, God is right next to us. He walks through every season of life by our side.

Not only is He with us, but He also promises to strengthen us and help us in times of difficulty. When we feel like we’ve run out of strength to continue, God will provide His strength for us.

God will provide the help we need to keep living in His will. He doesn’t promise to give us strength to do whatever we want, but rather—He gives us courage and empowerment to continue walking according to His plans for our life.

So, in seasons of hardship when we feel like we’ve run empty, we should lean in to God’s promises and trust Him. We should trust that He will empower us and strengthen us for whatever we’re facing.

Take some time today to pray to God. If He feels distant, ask Him to be close to you. If you feel weak, ask Him to strengthen you. He promises to uphold you, so trust in His promises. Continue to build a relationship with God and seek His presence. As you do, you’ll find a renewed strength as you walk through life with Him.