BE A POSITIVE PRESENCE
Have you ever considered the practical blessing of God’s omnipresence?
Theologically, it is an amazing truth; but to us humans who are limited to occupy only one space at a time, we can find it a bit hard to appreciate. God occupies all places and all times simultaneously - all of heaven and earth, all of the time. Preachers often use that truth to remind themselves and their listeners that God is with us at all times and sees everywhere we go and everything we do.
Consider Psalm 139:7-12:
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Now in truth, that is a valuable and sober warning for all of us; but we should also consider the wonderful positive implications of this great truth. God is with us everywhere we go!
Recently, I was praying before I walked into a service in which I was preaching. In my closing words I said something like, “Lord, please do not let me go into that pulpit by myself.” The Holy Spirit stopped me and whispered into my heart, “You never do!” In an explosion of joy, that truth flooded my mind. It was not that I did not know the theological truth, but I was so appreciative of how it worked its way into the everyday portions of our lives. Think about it: the Holy Spirit was the power that regenerated us, He daily guides us, He daily teaches us the Scripture, He prays for us in words that we cannot utter, He comforts us when we are hurting, He anoints, and He enables us to serve. He is the One who walks into every situation of our lives with us and makes us more than conquerors. He is, at all times, a “positive presence” in our lives, even if we are facing a difficult and negative circumstance. Even when He convicts us, it is for the positive result of helping us please the Lord and avoid the suffering that sin brings.
There is no moment that we face in our day that the Holy Spirit is not with us to help us.
What if we patterned ourselves after the ministry of the Holy Spirit? Oh, we cannot be omnipresent, omniscient, and certainly not omnipotent; but we can purpose to be a positive presence in every situation we find ourselves during a day. We do not always find ourselves in pleasant circumstances; but with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can be the helper, the encourager, the source of truth in love, the one who has mercy, the one who is gracious, and the one who tries to make a difference for the good of others. Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest said: “The atmosphere produced by a man, much more than his activities, has the lasting influence.” Be a positive presence, and watch God influence others by your attitude.
