Key scripture – “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:7-10).

One of the greatest of all the promises in the Bible is this: I am with you.

Jesus said it to his disciples (and to us) at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).

Have you ever thought, “If the Lord is with me, what do I have to fear? What do I lack? How can I lose?”

The same Lord who walked on water, healed the sick, and rose from the dead, saved you and is transforming you, He is always with you, watching over you, and guiding your steps. So knowing all this, why don’t you smile, dance in the streets and throw more parties? Why do you sometimes act as though God is not only, not with you, but that he is not even in the vicinity?

There may be many reasons why we feel God’s absence in our lives, but a common reason is that we are the ones who have gone AWOL, not God. Look at the example of Peter. One day Jesus climbed into Peter’s boat, telling him to row out into the lake and cast his nets out despite the fact that Peter had been up all night fishing with nothing to show for it. “Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:3-5). But this time when Peter threw out the nets, he caught so many fish that his boat began to sink. “And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:6-7). Instead of jumping with joy, Peter fell down and implored Jesus to leave him, saying, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8).

There’s something very right about Peter’s response. He realized that Jesus is Holy and sin is His mortal enemy, but even though Peter was a sinful man, like us, The Lord didn’t leave Peter. Instead He stayed and transformed Peter’s life, and that’s what Jesus wants to do with our lives.

We make a big mistake when we let our sin drag us down and away from the One who has promised to be with us. Instead of running to him, we let a cloud of guilt and shame settle over us, and we find it hard to pray, which in turn causes us to move farther away, and in a thousand different ways, we say, “Depart from me, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8).

If you are troubled by some persistent failing, by some entrenched sin, don’t run away from Jesus, run to Him. Talk to Him about it, express your sorrow and ask for His forgiveness — then receive it, and turn away from your sin. After that pray this famous fourth-century prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate:

Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart;
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.
Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand Christ all around me, shield in the strife;
Christ in my sleeping, Christ in your my sitting, Christ in my rising, light of my life.
Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart;
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, I praise You that You promised to always be with me. Thank You for Your persistence in pursuing me. Thank You for the patience and loving kindness that You pour out on me. Forgive me for any pattern of sin in my life and any hidden iniquities in my heart. When I sin, instead of beating myself up and pulling away from You, I will run to You immediately and confess it, turn from it, and receive Your forgiveness, strength and love. I pray that You “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24). Continue to increase my knowledge so that I truly see how much You love me and desire to be with me. Help me to have a better understanding of the height, depth, length and width of Your Love for me. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.