Borrowed Breath

So yesterday morning, I took a walk with the Lord to spend some time in prayer. At one point, I prayed, “Lord, I need you today.” And it was as if the Lord replied, “I’m already here.”

I realized that distance is really just perception. It is not a matter of space and time. Spiritual distance is an awareness, or lack thereof, of the presence of the Spirit of the living God. He never goes anywhere. He lives in me.

You’ve probably heard the clever saying, “If God feels distant, who moved?” And the truth of that statement is that, if I sense a detachment from my God, it is most likely because of some sin in my life. But the key word in that statement is that God “feels” distant. As far as physical distance goes, He is right here, in me, just as He is when I sense His presence.

In reality, our God is not a genie who, as I sense His absence, I rub the magic bottle of prayer and *POOF* He appears. Rather, as I sense His absence, and I pray for a renewal of His presence, He reveals that He is right there. Though I’ve “wandered” from Him, it is not that I’ve removed myself farther physically from His presence, it’s that I’ve drifted from the reality of Him in me. I’m believing a lie.

Faith is merely trusting what He says is true about His presence in me. Upon embracing this truth, His presence is suddenly such a stark reality that is so tangible, I can’t believe I ever doubted it.

So rather than my prayer being, “I need you today,” I should be praying, “Lord, make me aware today, moment by moment, that you ARE with me.”