Jesus is Here: Faith to Believe God is With You

If you take nothing else away from this reading, set your convictions on this truth: God is with you! Coupled with faith, this realization will shift your perspective on any situation. In this post I share key scriptures, stories, and personal experiences which reveal that Jesus has a literal, vested interest in our lives and that He is always with us.

The inspiration for this message came one evening as I was reading a youth devotional series designed by Max Lucado. In it is an interesting story that I’d like to share with you. The passage goes a little something like this:

Lucado writes, “When ancient sailors sketched maps of the oceans, they disclosed their fears. On the vast unexplored waters, cartographers wrote such words as “Here be dragons” and “Here be demons.”

Lucado then asks readers: If you drew a map of your world, would we read such phrases? Over the unknown waters of friendships and romance, “Here be dragons.” Near the sea of school and classes, “Here be demons.”

He says, If so, take heart from the example of Sir John Franklin. He was a master mariner in the days of King Henry V. Distant waters were a mystery to him, just as they were to other navigators. Unlike his colleagues, however, Sir John was a man of faith. On his maps he had crossed out the phrases “Here be dragons” and “Here be demons.” In their place he wrote the phrase “Here is God.”

If you’re reading this, I’d like you to consider the fact that Jesus is here.

What’s in the Name ‘Immanuel’?

Most know that Jesus is also called Immanuel, the basic definition of which means God with us. Smith’s Bible Dictionary give us a bit more context though, explaining that the title was used by the prophet Isaiah and Matthew the apostle as they told of how Christ would come to be born of Mary and dwell among men.

So, in its most basic form, ‘God with us’ simply meant that Jesus would literally come to be with people on earth. And we know that He did, in fact, come to earth and perform great miracles, endured much suffering, and completed the work of securing salvation for all of us. We also know that after His resurrection, He ascended to sit at the right hand of the Father.

So, how is it that we still call Him Immanuel?

We can read in the Bible that Jesus asks God to send the Holy Spirit in His stead, and that the Holy Spirit is to be with us forever. By this promise we know that the presence of God is in the earth.

John 14:15-17 (NKJV)

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

John 16:5-14 (NKJV)

⁵ “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 

⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

Because we believe – based on scripture – in the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – we know that the Holy Spirit being present is the same as Jesus being with us on earth. The more important part, though, is that we must not be satisfied only to have the Holy Spirit dwelling at large in the earthly realm. Ultimately, we should want the Holy Spirit with us in a greater sense – that is, for Him to abide with us and live in us. However, the Bible tells us that there is a condition for this: We must not be of the world; instead, we must love God and keep His commandments.

How to Make Sure God is With You

Jesus makes it clear in John 14 (referenced above) that that the world cannot receive His Spirit and, therefore, cannot benefit from His advocacy or His help. This means that if we are of the world, we will never really know truth, because He is the Spirit of truth. Living as the world does, we won’t be taught by the Holy Spirit and cannot truly receive His guidance. Jesus drives this point home further down in the chapter.

John 14:22-24 (NKJV)

²² Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. ²⁴ He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

So, we see that our Savior does not want to be limited to our physical spaces and environments; instead, He desires to live in us. He wants to be so close to us that we are home for Him — to be with His followers in the full sense of the word.

God is With You Everywhere, at All Times

Sometimes, before I go to bed at night, I put on a song to play softly while I sleep. Recently, ‘Jesus is Here’ is often my song of choice. It’s a simple song from the William McDowell ‘Sounds of Revival’ album. It just says, “Jesus is here. Everything I need is here.”

One morning, though, as I stood looking in the mirror, putting on my makeup and preparing to leave for work, it struck me that “Jesus is here” is not just a declaration of His presence manifested in our physical space. Certainly, “Jesus is here” means that He is in the room with me – that He is filling my space, giving me peace, and wanting to commune with me.

More than that, though, I realized that as I set out on the road for work, Jesus would still be “here.” Because Jesus is a Savior who does not love us from a distance but enjoys relationship with us, He chooses to always be with us. He isn’t just in the church building on Sunday or at our bedsides in the morning as we kneel to pray before beginning the day. When we accept Christ as Savior, He lives with us, and in us — continually.

Wherever we are and wherever we go, the fullness of Jesus Christ will always be with us. This means that He is always there for us to depend upon, in every circumstance — a truth that is outlined in scripture:

• Deuteronomy 31:6 – Moses reminds God’s chosen to, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
• Psalm 23:4 – The psalmist declares, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
• Romans 8:38-39 – Paul writes, “ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Matthew 28:20 – “… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Why is the revelation of Jesus being with us so important? Because, like William McDowell’s song says, when Jesus is “here” — wherever “here” is — everything I need is also “here.” With Jesus, we have everything we could ever need!

The Significance of Having God With You

Jesus is the Great I Am. In His Word, He tell us:

• John 6:35 – “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
• John 8:12 – “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
• John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
• John 11:25 – “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Basically, Jesus is saying He is all that we need — no matter what side of life we find ourselves on. If we need help, He says, I am that. When we need peace, He says call onYahweh-Shalom – the Lord is peace (Judges 6:24). If we need rest, He is our sanctuary. If we need ideas, He is an abundance of creativity – in fact, He is the creator of all creators.

This is the beauty of realizing that Jesus is with you. It is understanding that there is truly nothing lacking in you – not because of your own might, intelligence, or charisma; but because Jesus is with you. John 15:4-5 makes it clear:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

When we live life attached to the vine who is Jesus Christ, we are — at any given time — connected to an infinite resource. This resource is unlimited in scope; meaning it becomes whatever you need of it, according to the promises of God. So, what are some things we can pull from this resource? What is available to you when Jesus is near?

Because Jesus is here, refuge and strength is here. The Psalms assure us that God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need Him (Psalm 46:1); that with Jesus on our side we ought to be fearless, afraid of no one and nothing (Psalm 27:1). Psalm 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Finally, Isaiah boldly declares, “… those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (40:31).” “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you (43:2).”

Because Jesus is here, our defense and deliverer is here. In his book, the prophet Isaiah left record of the power of the God of angel armies. He also writes, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord (Isaiah 54:17).” Psalm 34:17 reads, “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Because Jesus is here, our leader and teacher is here. Psalm 32 tells us that not only does the Lord surround us with songs of deliverance, He instructs and teaches us in the way we should go. He guides us with His eye. The Bible states that Jesus is a good teacher, and that God knows all things.

Because Jesus is here, our joy and hope is here. 1 Peter 1:3-4, 8 reads, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade… Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

To sum it all up, accepting that Jesus is always “here,” with us and in us, means trusting that, yes, all things really are possible. The Bible says, “For with God nothing will be impossible (Luke 1:37).” We have only to believe that Jesus — once we accept Him, abides with us and that He is who He says He is: healer, deliver, provider, comforter, warrior, salvation, peace, life, and so much more.

Declare today: “Jesus is here, everything I need is here.”

When life gets tough and your situation seems impossible, remember that Jesus is with you; so you always have everything you need to overcome. He has already made available the tools and resources necessary to secure a victory!

Scripture admonishes, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Josh. 1:9).”

If God is With You, Why Still Seek Him?

Recently, my senior pastor encouraged us to increase and deepen our personal time with God – to begin to seek God wholeheartedly. He explained that diligent faith causes God to show up supernaturally in our lives and in the lives of those around us. He added that the degree to which God changes us, is the degree to which we will change our worlds; so, we must put ourselves in a position to be influenced, and used, by God. From his message I understood that the more time we spend building our personal relationship with God, the more we create room for Him to influence our lives.

By human logic, it may seem like an unnecessary pursuit – to go in search of God, who is omnipresent; but this is not a literal pursuit. Jesus says that not only will He be in us, but we will also be in Him. And as we abide in Him and He in us, we are being transformed in His image from glory to glory.

How is this being done? 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 describes it as the glory of the new covenant which is being executed by the Spirit of God. One study Bible explains it this way: “As believers behold the glory of God in the Word of God, the Spirit of God changes their hearts and actions to make them more and more like Christ.” (Sorry, I lost the note of the exact reference/citation.)

Additionally, we know that “glory” may also refer to a space where we encounter the presence of God. The more we grow in Christ and are transformed to His likeness, the more richly we can experience the divine presence of God – the more of Himself He reveals to us. This is because our personal time with God causes us to be filled with, and empowered by, His Holy Spirit. The Bibles says the Holy Spirit teaches, counsels, reveals the things of God, and so on. But if we don’t spend time with Him, when will we ever see the hidden things He wants to reveal?

If you are not yet convinced, here are a few reasons to continue pursuing God.

3 Reasons to Keep Seeking God

First, time in God’s Word brings reproof, conviction, and correction. It gives us an opportunity to clean up our hearts, an important step for drawing closer to God. The psalmist writes, “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully (Psalm 24:3-4).”

So, we see that purity is a prerequisite for deeper relationship with God. We seek God to ensure that our lives remain pure before Him, so that we are not cast from His presence and so that He does not take His Holy Spirit from us. This was the songwriter’s plea in Psalm 51:1-12.

Second, continually seeking God ensures that we will have divine encounters with Him: “… those who seek Me diligently will find Me (Proverbs 8:17).”

Third, meditating on God’s Word increases our faith. The more we encounter Jesus, and the more we get to know Him, the more deeply rooted our faith in Him becomes. Paul lets us know that faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17) – that is by spending time in His Word. This faith is important because it enables us to accomplish the work of affecting our natural world by the power of the Holy Spirit, and this is the greatest mission of the Church.

John 14:12-14 records the words of Jesus saying, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

So, we can confirm that it is our belief or faith in Jesus Christ that will make us more effective representatives of the Kingdom of God as He works in us and confirms His Word through accompanying signs as outlined in Mark 16:17-18: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’”

So, yes, we must continue to seek God even though He is – technically – already with us, because there is always a need and opportunity to become greater vessels of His glory!

Prayer

Thank you, God, for your Word and for the revelation given by the Holy Spirit. I thank you for being here with me and choosing to dwell in me. Thank you for being the great I AM; for being my joy, my peace, my hope, my song, my healing, my strength and refuge, my defense and deliverance, my teacher and comforter — everything that I need! What a mighty God I serve. I will forever sing praises to you and bless your name forever. Amen.