God's Presence

Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me,"

Matthew 28:20 - "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

God never promised that following him would free you from your troubles. However, he does promise to be with you at all times and help you work through your problems with more wisdom and less fear. Even in the darkest of times when you cannot feel him, his presence is there. God is always ready to help when you ask him to.

Sometimes, God can and will take away your problem. However, most times he allows you to struggle through your problem so that you can learn from it and grow stronger. It is really important that God does this as we need to develop our own life skills. Either way, he knows your trouble and walks beside you through it.

Jonah 2:2 - "He said: 'In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry."

There is no need to pray for the Lord to be with you in times of crisis for he is already there. Instead, it would be wise to pray that you learn to recognise his presence and have the humility and discernment to accept his help.

Psalm 10:1 - "Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"

The greater your troubles, the further away God sometimes seems. However, this is not true, it's just that from time to time the darkness created by your problem obstructs your view. In times like this, when it seems as though God is absent, don't trust your feelings; trust God's promise that he will never, ever leave you.