4.11.18 Praise & Prayer Prompt: The Living God’s Presence

PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I want to see the Northern Lights.
It’s at the very top of my bucket list.
As beautiful as the pictures are, I know they must be pale in comparison of actually seeing the lights first hand.
I became intrigued by the lights when I read “The Northern Lights” series, a trilogy by Lisa Tawn Bergren.
She used the Northern Lights often throughout the story as an illustration of God’s great goodness and His presence in our lives.
(And as a side note—I highly recommend these books. This is one of my all-time favorite series!)
This morning, I was reading the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River.
The day before they crossed, Joshua told them, “… tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5b)
The next morning, in Joshua 3:10a, Joshua said to the people, “Today you will know that the living God is among you.”
As powerful as Joshua’s words are, they are truths the Israelites should have already known.
After all, God had sent plagues to the Egyptians in order to release the Israelites from slavery.
He’d parted the Red Sea to provide a path of escape.
He’d sent manna from heaven to feed them.
They wandered the wilderness for 40 years and yet their clothes never wore out.
There was water out of a rock, the snake situation, and countless other details where God showed His power and presence to the Israelites.
Seriously!
How many reminders did they need?
But are we any different??
We grow complacent to the miracles that take place around us every day, and then ask God for a miraculous sign to prove He’s there!
He is there.
Way back then and right now.
And the next moment, and the next, later this afternoon, next week, the following Tuesday, and every day after that.
He is the ONE AND ONLY LIVING GOD who is always present.
Yet, we need reminding.
But if we can stay firmly focused on His presence, the miracles we take for granted won’t be a demonstration that He’s there, but they will be a demonstration of His amazing power!
As much as I want to see the Northern Lights as a reflection of God’s creativity and majesty, I know He’s here in the mundane everyday world I take for granted.
As I sit in my living room recliner, typing this out on my iPhone, I’ve been aware of the sun rising.
It was dark when I started, but now it’s light.
It happens every day.
But it is no less a miracle because it’s God’s handiwork.
You and I are both walking, talking miracles that are demonstrations of His greatness.
Yet, how many of us regularly sit around pondering how many hairs we have on our head?
He knows (Luke 12:7).
Joshua had to remind the Israelites and his reminder is still applicable to us.
The Lord continues to do great wonders around us.
And today, the living God is present.
Today, as you pray, praise God for His miracles!
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to all the great and small details that will remind you that God is alive and active today!