I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I need. I’ve been through some challenging times, and I’ve faced hard choices and decisions on several fronts. I experienced great loss following the recent death of my father and am travelling through grief. I’ve pondered which way to go, what to do, where to turn, how to make something work, what to say. And I feel like I need something to address all of those issues.
Yet in the midst of all I think I need, the foundational truth is that there is only one thing I need. And that one thing God promises to give me: Himself. In this passage, God speaks to Jacob during a dream, promising His presence with Jacob for the tasks in front of him. Psalm 139 teaches us that everywhere we go and in everything we do, God is present with us. The last promise Jesus made before His ascension was, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). As I am spending time thinking about what I need, God is already giving to me exactly what I need!
We tend to put parameters around God’s promise to be present with us, telling God what it should look like and how we want things to go. We sometimes think God’s presence, as good as it is, may not be enough for all we are facing. We tend to think that God should do what we want, when we want, and in the manner we want. Sinful creatures that we are, we have the audacity to tell God how to be God.
Yet here remains this powerful, incredible, life-changing promise of God: “I will be with you.” And when I pause and ponder, when I reflect and pray, when I open myself to the truth of that promise, I realize that God’s presence is all I really need. May you feel and experience and know God’s powerful presence with you today.