Begin with What You Know
“I’m afraid I will miss God.”
I find this statement to be one of the most common concerns among the most selfless and tender Christians. On the surface, this fear of “missing God” sounds noble, but time has taught me that the enemy pounces on it, then uses it to entrap people. It is his ploy to make everything about our performance rather than our trust in God’s grace. It changes the focus to our ability to follow rather than His ability to lead.
This makes our Christian walk fear driven rather than love and faith based. The enemy of our souls knows that every daughter of God wants to please her Father. Satan attempts to pervert our godly desire to follow God’s leading by questioning every move we make until confusion traps us in inaction.
Listen, Jesus is not trying to trick you. He would not tell us to follow if it was impossible. His ways are simple, but they are not easy. The enemy knows that one way to stop the pure-hearted is to freeze them with the fear of making a wrong move. He knows that the immobilized cannot follow.
I want you to hear me, lovely goddaughter: I actually believe that if your heart is pure, it is impossible to miss God. Why do I think this? He is just too big of a target.
Ponder that thought as you answer these questions:
1. Where can you aim and not come in contact with God?
2. Where can you reach and not touch something that declares His existence?
3. Where can you look and not see the fingerprints of His majesty?
But let’s not stop there. Look up and you discover His wonder in the stars. Look down and see His glory in a flower. The mountains’ heights remind us that He is our Rock of refuge. The ocean’s roar declares His undeniable might. The wind awakens our souls to His unseen presence as it whispers, “There is more.”
We are promised that if we will but seek him with all our heart, he will be found by us. And if this knowledge doesn’t inspire you, there is even more good news. You, lovely goddaughter, are surrounded. Never again imagine there is a place or circumstance where you are alone.
Who else but the Spirit of God is omnipresent? This literally means present in all places at all times. No moment or place exists without his presence; there has never been a space void of him, not in your past, present, or future.
Try as they might, your parents weren’t capable of this. Your friends can’t be this to you, and if your husband is like mine, he isn’t omnipresent even when he is present. But none of this is true of the Holy Spirit.
Goddaughter, would the one who sent his only begotten Son to rescue you watch for your failure or look for an excuse to abandon you? God forbid the thought! Lovely one, fear not, you are his—redeemed, washed, beloved, and righteous in his sight.
As his, is there anywhere you can go that our Father is not present? King David pondered this question and reflected on the awe of God’s intimate presence in Psalm 139:
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. (vv. 5–6)
To be hemmed in is yet another way of saying surrounded. I believe this is both spatial as well as dimensional. God is in our past and future. Our Father is more than an observer; he is in touch with us. David described this as God’s hand upon his life.
God is involved with us. He is that hand of comfort as well as the one that takes us by the hand to lead us. His hand is upon our head in blessing. He is the hand that holds us back from danger. When God puts his hand on something, it confers blessing and an awareness of his anointing. David called this awareness too wonderful and far beyond our ability to comprehend.
Are you hearing this?
An awareness of God is meant to overwhelm us. In this moment, he is there with you, even as he is here with me. God’s presence doesn’t require a church building, a song, or a sermon. His children are the focus of his presence. Emmanuel means “God with us,” and this one word is our reassurance of his presence.
Now, with all that said, it is time to break the bonds of fear and move forward. Goddaughter, you possess a greater power than any imaginary magic wand. It is the power of choice. You have the right to decide that tomorrow will be different!
What are the areas of life where you have been frozen by the fear of missing God? What is one action you can take now to begin moving forward?
Lisa Bevere
Lisa Bevere has spent nearly three decades empowering women to find their identity and purpose. She is a cancer survivor and a New York Times bestselling author. Her books include Godmothers, Without Rival, Adamant, Lioness Arising, and Girls with Swords. Lisa and her husband, John, cofounded Messenger International to develop uncompromising followers of Christ who transform their world. To this end, Messenger has given away more than 40 million resources in over 100 languages. Stay connected with Lisa on Instagram, Facebook, and her website.
