The Power and Presence of God

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

and He will establish your thoughts...

When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord,

He makes even his enemies live at peace with him (Prov. 16: 3&7).

 

The sons of God are those who are willing to be led by the Power and Presence of God.

 

One of my Confirmation students, in reflecting on the recent retreat experience, commented that she and one of the boys in the class had been at each other's throats ever since 4th grade.  She could not stand him, and vice-versa.  As "luck" (or rather Divine Providence) would have it, they wound up in the same small discussion group during the retreat -- an unusual circumstance, as the retreat leaders were careful to separate those who knew one another.  They had assigned kids from different parishes to the same discussion group.

 

During the weekend discussions, her eyes were opened to his "inner man," the person she had never seen or known before -- the person hiding inside the one she despised.  "I never knew he was like that," she commented.  During one of the sessions, the students were directed to write a letter of forgiveness to someone who had hurt them.  It was their choice as to whether actually give the letter to the other person or not, but just writing it was a significant exercise in forgiveness.  She wrote her letter to the boy she had been hating since 4th grade -- and actually gave it to him. 

 

Again, as "luck"---or Divine Providence -- would have it, he was not in class the night she told the story; he had an awards banquet at his school that night.  So she was free to tell the story without embarrassing him.  It amazes me to watch God work in my own life and the lives of other people!

 

I can tell my students how God has worked in my own life, and I can quote the Scripture to them--

He makes even his enemies live at peace with him---but when they experience God working in their own lives, it's much more powerful.

 

Every person deserves to experience the Power and Presence of God working in their lives -- but not every person will believe or accept that God cares enough to work out His good will in each life.  The Bible is not a set of directives on how to live; it is a set of stories about The God Who Acts to Save Us.  My own life is not a set of philosophical principles according to which I live--I have no power or strength to live up to much of anything.  But my life is a story -- just one -- of God's Power and Presence, of His Love and Forgiveness, of His willingness to bend low over us, of His song of joy whispered to those who are faltering.