Situation
In a prayer request that I received recently, the person wrote
about not being able to feel God’s presence and of feeling far from God. I understand that. Due to a time of physical trauma and no sleep
for a few days, I went into a cycle of panic attacks for several days. I did not feel God’s presence at that time; I
only felt fear. (I am not sure that
under those brain-chemistry conditions, one can “feel” God’s presence. Yet, Jesus did not abandon me. There were people close me who have a
chemical propensity to panic attacks. They
understood. They cared for me,
encouraged me, and basically carried me through those days. Jesus was “in” those people. Jesus was with me.
Response
I am reminded of a popular poem, “Footprints in the Sand”:1
One
night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.
This
bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So
I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?”
The
Lord replied,
“The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you.”
Theological Application for Ministry
The obvious point of the poem above for the sufferer is that God may well be
present in ways that we do not feel or recognize. However, there is an important theological application for ministry to be made. The theological point involves
that fact that God made humanity in God’s image (Gen 1:26). We were made to represent God in and to this
world. (See my post “Created in the
Image of God: Forgotten Aspects,” February 1, 2024.) That, too, is the mission of being participants
in the Kingdom of God in this world, of being living-in-the-flesh members of
the Body of Christ. When people do not
feel close to God, we are here for their sake.
When people have panic attacks, we are here for their sake. When people are in need, we are here for
their sake. Jesus called his followers
to be servants, slaves to others (Mark 10:41-45).
Lord Jesus, I pray for the person who feels far from
you. I do pray for the Presence of your
Holy Spirit in that person’s life that they would feel you nearby. I also pray that you will surround that person
with people created in your image, people who are living in you image, people
who will serve and comfort that person in your name. Help me to be such a person. Amen
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1) I do not know whom
to credit for the poem. Authorship has
been claimed by a few people, and the poem itself has earlier antecedents.
