In his book Learning to Lament, British author Paul Mallard tells of a time when as a young Christian, he heard Richard Wurmbrand tell of his imprisonment under the communists in Romania. Wurmbrand spent 14 years under trying and torturous conditions for the crime of failing to stop preaching the gospel. Upon his release, Wurmbrand spoke words to this effect: “There were times when I sat alone in my cell—hungry, cold, and in pain from the latest beating. And as I sat there in the dark, I would sing songs of joy. They can take away my freedom and my comforts; they can rob me of my health and dignity; they can strip me of everyone I love; they can even take away my life. But they cannot take from me the firm grip of the nail-pierced hands of my Savior. They cannot take my God away from me.”
One of the great comforts of the Christian life is to know that God is always near, that He is at our elbow—that whatever we face on the left side of our lives and whatever threatens on the right side of our lives, God is at our side (Psa. 34:18; Phil. 4:5–6). His love will not fail us, His wise rule in our lives will not disappoint us, and His presence will not leave us. Of all the things we enjoy in Christ, best of all is the fact that God is with us.
On the one hand, God is a pervasive presence (1 Kings 8:27; Psa. 139:7–10; Jer. 23:24). God is everywhere. His footprint is to be found in the four corners of the earth. We cannot flee from His presence. God is above all things, under all things, and surrounding all things. As has been well said, “God is an infinite circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.” On the other hand, God’s pervasive presence is also a personal presence. While God’s presence is wide enough to encompass and enfold the universe, it is narrow enough to abide with and within us. God is not an impersonal force but a person to know and a companion to enjoy (Exod. 33:14; Psa. 23:4; 27:10; Matt. 28:20). God is to His people, as a matter of grace, an ever-present help through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Psa. 46:1; John 14:14–18; 16:7). Mark it down. God will never leave us nor ever forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Think of . . .
• God’s saving presence with Jacob (Gen. 28:10–17)
• God’s sovereign presence with Joseph (Gen. 50:20)
• God’s successive presence with Joshua (Josh. 1:5)
• God’s sufficient presence with David (Psa. 23:1–6)
• God’s strengthening presence with Paul (2 Tim. 4:16–18)
God’s presence is not just infinite; it is intimate. It is not just far and wide but near to the broken and believing heart. Like our shadow, God’s presence follows us wherever we go, supplying our every need, comforting us in our distress, holding us close when others stay at a distance, and steeling our resolve to follow Christ at a cost. It is a fundamental thing and a fantastic truth that we are always in the presence of God, held firm in the grip of those nail-pierced hands (Rom. 8:38–39).