Introduction

I am honored that Kathy has invited me to share some of my writing with you over the coming weeks. I have been working on a book about the women in the gospels, and considering Jesus’ encounters with those ancient women has encouraged and strengthened me in my own walk with Him. I pray that the Lord would use these stories to reveal more of His heart and His character to you.

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What does it mean to dwell in the presence of our Creator? To look into the face of our Master? To kneel at His feet? To rest in Him? We talk about being in the presence of God. We hear others talk of it, and we wonder what they mean. We long for it even if we don’t know how to define it. Even if we believe that it is possible, it is sometimes hard to imagine what it might look like in our everyday.

I am convinced that God’s plan has forever been to usher us into His presence. From before the creation of the world, He was prepared not only to send a Savior but to be the Savior. He was prepared to dwell among us—to dress Himself in human form and frailty and submit Himself to death—in order that we might dwell with Him. Through the sacrifice of the very Son of God, a way has been opened for us to come boldly before His throne (Hebrews 4:14-16). He delights to know us and to make Himself known. I am convinced that we are welcome. I am not always sure what that means. 

I read of the women in the gospels, the ones who encountered Jesus face to face—the ones who sat at His feet, clung to His robe, and sought Him in the crowd. I think that nothing would make me braver than to wrap my arms around the Man of Christ, to sit beside Him, to feel His hands upon my head as He speaks healing and comfort and peace.

But that very Man has promised us something even better. Jesus said to His closest followers, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit who dwells within everyone who calls upon the saving name of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The presence of the Living God encloses Himself in our fragile hearts. Yes, the Lord is near. No, He will never leave us nor forsake us.

He is right beside us, but sometimes He is so very hard to find.

What is it to seek the presence of One we cannot see? What does that look like in my life? What does it look like in yours? What does it mean to really live a life that is aware of His presence, that looks for Him, that longs for Him? What does it mean to draw near to God and allow Him to draw near to us (James 4:8)?

This is why I love the stories of Jesus’ encounters with the ancient women of the Gospels. Jesus wrapped Himself in flesh and walked beside them. The Heart of the Father beating within the skin of the Son and walked beside His daughter.

The Heart of the Father hasn’t changed. The love of the Son hasn’t shifted. The Holy Spirit still dwells in our midst. Our God is as wildly committed to your healing and your freedom as He was 2000 years ago, and in these coming posts we will watch the Man of Christ move among those ancient women, so that we can recognize the Spirit of Christ as He moves among us.

The Jesus beside her is still the One beside us—the One beside you.

I am excited to share a few of those encounters with you over the coming weeks. I pray you will take time with these stories in the Gospels. I pray you will spend more time reading the accounts of Jesus in His Word than you do in my words. Each devotional will include the Scripture reference for the encounter we’ll consider, and I want to challenge you to read and ponder those stories on your own before you read my reflections. At the end of each devotional, you’ll find a prayer prompt to where you are invited to engage with the Lord yourself. Don’t skip that part! He longs to reveal Himself to you by His Spirit and in His Word. I implore you to take the time to let Him.

May we seek the Spirit of Christ in the same way that these women sought the Man of Christ. May we know what it is to run or fall or laugh or weep in the presence of the One who invites us in. May we encounter Him in ways that we have not before. And may our every encounter cause us to love Him more. May we come face to face with an invisible God who once robed Himself in human flesh, and may we find Him to be our Savior and our Lord and our most Faithful Friend.

Respond:

Write out Psalm 139:23-24 and 46:10 and put it in a place where you’ll see it regularly. Over the next few weeks together, I pray that these verses will serve as a reminder that Jesus is indeed beside you and will invite you to ask Him to make His presence known to you personally.