Special Devotional on the Presence Of God
We usually cannot feel Him, sense Him, or hear Him — and we certainly cannot see God in a physical way at all. But we want to so badly. Believing in the unseen is hard. We are like Thomas, longing for something we can touch, something we can verify with our senses. And when we can’t, it’s easy to wonder, Where is He?
He is here right now. In this very moment, He is closer to you than your breath, even when every sense in your body insists that nothing is happening. We know He is here because He has proven Himself faithful over the course of our lives. When we look back, we can see the moments He carried us, protected us, guided us, and held us together when we didn’t even realize it. Our journals, our memories, our survival — they are evidence.
But let me tell you something else... I have felt Him. I have sensed Him. I have heard Him. And I have seen Him — not with my eyes, but with my life.
I saw Him in my past at the age of seven, when He gave me breath after an accident on the playground. I had been on the ground nearly ten minutes without breathing. I woke up with a sudden breath in my lungs, lifted my head, and looked around me — there wasn't a soul in sight. The only explanation for my survival is that He saved me. I didn’t physically see Him, but I witnessed His presence.
He brought that memory back to me just the other day while I was writing a devotional — a memory I had never shared and no one had ever spoken of to me. When I walked into the building that day with mud on my back, it was as if I were invisible. No one said a word to me, and I didn't say a word to anyone. I went to the office and called my mother to come and pick me up. I never even told her what happened. I didn't understand it myself.
When I remembered it recently, I realized something I had never processed before: it would have taken about ten minutes for roughly 120 children to get inside the building, settle into class, close the doors, and leave the hallway empty by the time I arrived. No oxygen for ten minutes... who survives that without brain damage? I was overwhelmed when the memory surfaced, and I had never fully processed it.
I was not alone. He was there.
He was in my past on many other occasions as well. And He has made His presence known to me in my present. Since I surrendered on April 8th, my entire perspective has changed. I have experienced His nearness so clearly I feel as if I have seen Him. I recognize His character now. I know how He speaks to me. He is here — and He never leaves.
Even in silence, He is alive, active, and at work in your life right now. You can count on it.
I have a journal full of prayers I prayed over the last thirty years; He is answering them. You cannot convince me that He has not been with me my entire life — because He has convinced me that He has.
But the Bible already tells us everything we need to know about God being with us. We are called to believe the prophets, believe Jesus, believe the Scriptures, and trust what God has already said. He does make Himself known — not always in feelings, but in His guidance, His correction, His protection, and the quiet witness of the Holy Spirit within us. When we do something wrong, our conscience stirs because He is present. When we need direction, He leads because He is active. The real question is not whether God is speaking — it is whether we are listening.
And if we could sit in silence long enough, we would likely hear more than we realize. But we are human. We get restless. We get distracted. Some of us fall asleep the moment we get still. Yet even in that, God is patient. He knows our limits. And He remains here, faithfully present, even when we cannot sense Him at all.
So yes, it is hard to say, “I will not fear, God is here,” when nothing in our senses confirms it. But faith is not built on what we feel — it is built on what we know. And we know He is here because He has always been here. He has never left. He has never failed. He has never stopped being God, even when we cannot sense Him.
Creation itself reminds us that God is here. The earth is still on its axis, the sun still rises every morning, the moon still shines at night, and the birds are not worried about where God is or whether He is paying attention. They simply live because He sustains them. He is everywhere — omnipresent — and we should not doubt that He is here right now. The psalmist said he could not escape God’s presence, no matter where he went, which means God fills every place, including the quiet corners of our own lives (Psalm 139:7-10). So the question is not, “Where is God?” The real question is, “Where is He in your life?” Because if He is everywhere, then He is here — in this moment, in this breath, in this ordinary day.
"I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5)
"Be Still and Know that I AM GOD" (Psalm 46:10)
So... "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" (Proverbs 3:5)
Scripture References
John 20:24–29 — Thomas and the risen Jesus
2 Corinthians 5:7 — we walk by faith, not by sight
Hebrews 11:1 — faith is the evidence of things not seen
1 Peter 1:8 — though you do not see Him, you love Him
John 20:29 — blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe
2. God’s presence even when we cannot feel Him
Psalm 46:1 — God is a very present help
Psalm 139:7–10 — where can I go from Your presence
Deuteronomy 31:8 — He goes before you; He will not leave you
Isaiah 41:10 — I am with you; do not fear
Matthew 28:20 — I am with you always
3. God working even when He seems silent or hidden
Job 23:8–10 — I do not see Him, yet He is at work
Habakkuk 2:4 — the righteous shall live by faith
Isaiah 45:15 — truly You are a God who hides Himself
Psalm 77:7–12 — when I cannot feel God, I remember His works
4. The Holy Spirit within us — quiet but present
1 Corinthians 3:16 — you are God’s temple; His Spirit dwells in you
Romans 8:16 — the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit
John 14:17 — the Spirit dwells with you and will be in you
5. God guiding us even when we don’t sense Him
Proverbs 3:5–6 — He will direct your paths
Psalm 32:8 — I will instruct you and teach you
Isaiah 30:21 — you will hear a word behind you saying “This is the way”
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