by Allison Brost
The sound of 180-something shouting kids reverberated against the walls of the church sanctuary. All around me were the sights of a biblical-era city, courtesy of our church’s week-long Vacation Bible School program—palm trees, brick walls, even a fountain spouting actual water from a sprinkler set up in the church baptismal.
Each night closed with a tagline based on a biblical truth such as, “When I feel lonely, God is with me” or “When things change, God is with me.” But on this particular evening, as the teachers chanted and all the kids raised their voices as one, the depth of those last words struck me—God is with me. Surrounded by tissue-paper decorations, stray glo-sticks, and more than a few wiggly bodies paying little attention, I was surprised to find myself fighting back tears as the full weight of those words settled in.
God is with me.
How needed would these words be as the children headed back to varied home lives and challenging school situations and all the confusion of our busted-up world. And how much do you and I need to hear them too?
We often use the name Emmanuel to refer to Jesus during the Christmas season, yet sometimes we forget the depth of this truth in the remaining days of the year. When we face times of difficulty and disappointment, God is with us. As we navigate the changes and challenges of a new beginning, God is with us. Even while we make our way through the ordinary and everyday, God is with us.
John 1:14 reminds us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus, whose name literally means God with us, left behind His heavenly home to enter our sin-sick world—simply because He wanted a relationship with us.
When I look through the Gospels, I can’t escape the fact that so many elements of the Christmas story seem like the wrong time and place—an unwed pregnant teen, a challenging political climate, a last-minute trip without any accommodation, and the list could go on. Still Galatians 4:4 reminds us that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son...”
At exactly the right place and exactly the right time, Jesus Christ was born. Through it all, God was orchestrating every tiny detail to work in conjunction and bring about His sovereign plan. Yes, even through messiness and brokenness and things that aren’t “just so.”
I don’t know about you, but this is a truth I so desperately need to be reminded of in my own life—it doesn’t need to be perfect in order for God to be present. The words of Psalm 139:7-8 are such a blessed reminder of this truth: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” Wherever we go, whatever we go through, God is with us.
I wonder if our problem often isn’t that God is distant but that too often we miss Him. Is our vision sometimes so clouded by life that we fail to see that God has been beside us the entire time?
This is the real power behind gratitude: that even in the moments when God feels far away and life is just plain hard, it points us back to God’s presence. With each breath of praise, in every word of thanks, our hearts are directed back to this truth that God is with us.
Growing a grateful heart isn’t about us getting all of this down perfectly but about a perfect Savior who already has hold of us—one who is loving us and abiding with us through any and every bit of our lives. Whatever you may be facing today, God is present and accessible for you.
Come and dwell in His presence. Thank Him for the promise that brokenness is never the end of the story with Jesus.
You’re going to be okay. More than okay, actually. You’ve got God.
This post is adapted from Allison Brost’s new 30-day devotional, Grateful. In it, Allison helps readers uproot the weeds of discontent and begin to plant daily seeds of thanksgiving that bloom into joy and fulfillment.
Allison is not only an author but also an independent singer/songwriter from Janesville, WI. She loves to share daily encouragement online for those journeying in their faith at This Side of Perfect. Her passion is to share words of hope—both through books and song—that can point people to Jesus and uplift the church. When she’s not busy homeschooling her kids or leading worship, you can find her sitting outside, most likely with a cup of tea in hand.
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