The Power and Presence of God

Of all the definitions of "Grace" that I have heard, the best one to me is "The Power and Presence of God in this moment, for this situation."  I love that definition because I can relate so many moments of my life to the saving Presence of God -- from the time I was almost kidnapped at the age of five to the time I was kept from having my throat slit in City Park not too many years ago.  Of course, the meaning of grace extends to the thousands of quiet, non-dramatic or spectacular moments when the Presence of God has guided me in small and large decisions or actions -- sometimes even when I was not aware of the guidance until afterwards.

Most of us over 40 will remember the 1978 story of serial killer Ted Bundy, who broke into a Florida State sorority house and brutally murdered two young women, severely injuring two others.  Yet, according to the article in The Clarion Herald (October 2018)), when Bundy opened the door to one woman's bedroom and "stared straight into her face" as she lay in bed, he dropped his knife and fled the scene.

Later, the young woman told a Catholic priest that she had promised her mother before going off to college that she would pray a nightly rosary "for protection" at bedtime.  On the night of the attack, she was still holding her rosary when Bundy opened the door to her room.  When he was captured, Bundy said that he had every intention of killing that young woman, but a "mysterious force" made him drop the knife and flee for his life.

I cannot help but relate that story to the one of Balaam, a prophet or "seer" in the Book of Numbers (chapter 22).  The king of Moab was terrified at the sight of the Israelites camped across the Jordan River from him.  The Moabites said, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field."  So Balak , the king, sent for Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. But God said to Balaam, "You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."

Because Balak sent even more and greater princes to persuade Balaam, he went with them anyway -- but "an angel of the Lord stood in his path to turn him aside."

I wonder just how many times the angels have blocked the path of those who set out to curse us or to harm us.  I wonder how much we actually dwell in the Power and Presence of the Most High God without even realizing it.