Tag: presence

Enough for Christmas

By Ife J. Ibitayo

As the year winds down, I find myself growing increasingly reflective. I sit by the fire a little longer; flip through old photos a little more. I try to sum up the year via pithy, hashtag-able phrases like #imfreeof2023 and #thankGodwemadeit.

If my previous posts haven’t clued you in yet, it’s been a tough year. I feel like I’ve attacked the topic of “Coping with Adversity” from every angle my finite brain can concoct 500 words. But Christmas is only a couple of days away, and I would be remiss to not speak of “the reason for the season.”

He Was Enough Then

The wonder of Jesus’ birth over 2000 years ago is not just that the divine became earthly but that God Almighty became the least of all humans. To be frank, Jesus’ birth stunk—literally! Polished Christmas plays and immaculate live nativities have done a great injustice to the real noel. Without a doctor, nurse, or even a midwife, the Messiah splashed into a world filled with bleating animals and stinking feces. His first bed was a feeding trough where livestock had eaten, spat up, and reconsumed their last supper. His first visitors were dirty shepherds, who burst in on this already chaotic scene like garbagemen crashing a royal christening.

Jesus was born into the meagerest of circumstances (Luke 2:7), yet world leaders trembled at His arrival (Matthew 2:1-3). He was born at the worst of times (Luke 2:4-6) humanly speaking, yet He still arrived “at just the right time” (Romans 5:6) to save us from our sins. Before He’s recorded saying anything, Jesus had already dramatically altered the course of history. His mere presence changed everything.

He’s Enough Now

This is often how God chooses to operate today. With but a word, God can bring wars to a screeching halt (Psalm 46:8-10). He can still the tsunami outside of us with a mere whisper (Mark 4:39). But He’ll often walk with us through our storms rather than deliver us out of them. He will parachute down into our pain rather than airlift us out of it. He wants us to know that just as a little Jewish Baby was all that He needed to defeat the power of sin and death, His presence is all we need to make it through today.

Conclusion

As we celebrate Christmas and reflect on 2023, we’d do well to search for the telltale signs of God’s presence with us these past several months. Sickness may still linger in our bodies, our bank accounts may still be empty, and our relationships may look more ruptured than repaired. But God’s presence transforms every situation it enters, even if we can’t see it yet.  

“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”)”

(Matthew 1:23)

Missing the Presence (Tragedies of Hope Pt. 1)

By Ife J. Ibitayo

Before Israel was presided over by a president or a king, it was ruled over by Biblical figures known as judges. This period, dominated by sin, war, and subjugation, lasted hundreds of years. Toward the end of it, a priest named Eli judged Israel, and the nation was at war with a people known as the Philistines.

The Philistines routed the Israelites in battle, killing 4,000 of their men. The elders of Israel reasoned that their defeat was because the LORD had not accompanied them onto the battlefield. So the next time they faced their enemies, they brought the ark of the LORD with them. They believed this ark mandated the presence of the LORD and ensured their victory.

This strategy resulted in an overwhelming 30,000-man slaughter, of the Israelites. When Eli heard this news, he toppled over backward and snapped his neck. When his daughter-in-law, the wife of one of the priests of the ark, found out, she cried, “‘The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured'” (1 Samuel 4:22 ESV).

Taking Away the Presence

God promises in His word that He is not just far above us but also close at hand (Deuteronomy 4:7). However, suffering has driven this sense far from millions of people. Crippling hardship can plunge us into a dark moonless fog. And the faith of many are choking out on those fumes:

 Where is God when I’m struggling to breathe,

 dying under sheets or under a knee?

Purpose of the Presence

God said through the prophet Isaiah, “‘When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you'” (Isaiah 43:2 ESV). Unlike the false belief of these Israelites thousands of years ago, the presence of God is not a good luck charm to rescue us from every difficulty. Rather, it’s His assurance that He will join us in the furnace and sustain us through it.

Location of the Presence

But it can still be easy to feel cut off from God’s presence. COVID-19 has transformed powerful church experiences into poor Netflix substitutes. Weekends and weekdays used to be distant cousins. Now they’re evil twins in this waking nightmare. How are we supposed to find God when we’re buried under a mountain of paperwork and empty ramen boxes?

Speaking to the Jewish people thousands of years later, Deacon Stephen said, “‘Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest”‘” (Acts 7:48-49 ESV)?

This profound truth shines in our darkness. God is not confined to a holy place or a holiday. He is everywhere and every when, even here and now.

Conclusion

Seven months passed from when the ark of the LORD was taken by the Philistines to when it was returned to Israel (1 Samuel 6:1). It took a series of miracles to bring this about-face (1 Samuel 5), and it was a source of great joy to the Israelites upon its return (1 Samuel 6:13).

Likewise, we need a miracle to turn this year around. But the LORD is well-acquainted with the miraculous. When He restores our church meetings and Sunday services, we should rejoice. But in the meantime, we can cling onto His name: Emmanuel—God with us.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, 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.”

(Psalm 139:7-10)