God is
In us as a source of life.
With us as our guide through this life.
In our midst as a motivation for caring fellowship.
Among us as a presence that helps our maturing process.
If you have read my previous blogs or one of our books, you know that I often share stories to bring greater understanding to a topic. Frequently, they relate an occurrence in someone else’s life. Today, I want to share a personal experience; a cornerstone for my faith and understanding of God’s majesty and constant presence with us.
The End from the Beginning
You would probably find my teenage years rather unusual. My parents and I traveled extensively, visiting many ministries in our quest to understand who God is and how we should relate to Him. One particular location we visited set the stage for a unique insight into the nature of God.
Inside one of the buildings was a large room that contained a single painted mural, which spanned all four walls from ceiling to floor. An impressive presentation, the mural showed a variety of detailed scenes depicting human civilization: a large city with skyscrapers, smaller cities, rural towns, a few farms, plus a variety of jungle and desert areas along with villages.
Every area illustrated the interaction of people from modern cities to native habitats. Multiple modes of transportation depicted travel between the areas. Everything was impressively connected as the mural ingeniously flowed from one area and activity to another.
I was drawn into the mural and moved deliberately around the room, carefully examining each scene. Everything was beautifully connected, with each area displaying amazing detail. Finally I stood in the middle of the room to get a better feel for the overall presentation.
“This is how I know the end from the beginning.”
As I slowly turned around to observe the wonder of the full exhibit, I began to sense God saying to me, “This is a helpful visual of how I view everything in the natural realm. I am able to see it all at once without turning around. I observe all activity and even the movements of time simultaneously. This is how I know the end from the beginning.”
God’s Awesome Nature
My understanding of God’s majesty greatly increased in that moment as I experienced a fresh glimpse of His awesome nature. The mural became a metaphor to me of God’s omniscience, eternal view, and presence in all time as “I AM WHO I AM.”
I know, belief in God does not remove all of life’s questions or problems, especially when we face challenging situations. You may ask, as most of us have, “Where is God when things go wrong?” This world is full of good and bad activity, positive and negative interactions. God does not cause everything to happen as it does; rather, He sees our circumstances and interacts to encourage better outcomes.
From decades of earnestly seeking to understand God’s purpose for our life, I know above all else: when we learn to live life as God directs, everything fits together and makes better sense.
God is the dependable constant we can turn to.
Time and time again, God has consistently increased my understanding of His ways and His presence with us. God is the only dependable constant we can turn to for lasting stability; everything else is changeable. How then, can we draw from His steadfastness?
God’s Relational Invitation to You
Sensing God’s leading, I have written a third book, The Fellowship of His Presence. Like the mural, I hope to present understandable insight into God’s interactive purpose for our lives, as relational expressions of His vast nature.
Bringing clarity to the Gospel message, this book answers questions like: Can you actually hear God speak? Is intimacy with the eternal One possible, today?
While I don’t claim my writing efforts are perfect, they tend to be comprehensive. I encourage you to get a copy and benefit from applying these life-changing insights to your own life. I truly welcome your feedback and any questions.
One reader has shared, “The Fellowship of His Presence is a must read for those who long for more of God!” –Samuel Eaton
May your life be enriched as you read!
Keith Carroll, “The Relationship Guy”
Relational Gospel Founder
