“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
God’s presence
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Isaiah 43:2An abiding theme in the Bible is God’s presence with his people. This was an amazing thought for the Old Testament people who were used to the idea of going to the particular place – a sacred mountain, the tabernacle or the temple – to meet God. As Christians, we have a fuller understanding of the amazing truth that God’s spirit is with us and in us all the time.
Because we are sinful people, God’s presence can sometimes rebuke or challenge us. We read in Genesis 3 that Adam and Eve “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God”. I remember once listening with tears rolling down my cheeks to an swimmer telling me about the biggest disaster of her professional career. Expected to win an Olympic medal, she was eliminated in the heat without making even the semi-final. Yet in that moment she had an incredible sense of God’s presence with her. Together we wrote an account* of the experience under the title: “Where is God when it all goes wrong?” God’s promise to the Israelites as they left Egypt was: “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest”. (Exodus 33:14)
In Isaiah 43 God promises that whatever challenging experiences we encounter, he will be there with us and that nothing will harm us. That does not mean that you will always win, never be injured, never get dropped (by selectors or sponsors). But it does me that when such things happen – as part of human experience – God will be present to walk through the difficulties with us.
Finally, remember the words of Psalm 16: “in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”. Only God can make everlasting promises. As you practise or compete today, do it to the best of yourability in the knowledge that God is right there with you.