The Unseen God Is Always Nearby 

My youngest grandson’s name is Truett. So it seemed appropriate when some of our family was together in the vicinity of a restaurant named Truett’s Grill that we would go there. Later my daughter posted a picture on social media, showing our grandson sitting on a bench in front of a sign displaying the restaurant’s name and logo. It looked like the perfect photo with our grandson smiling and with a hand raised toward the sign. However, what you didn’t see is what was just outside the frame of the picture. I had been holding Truett, so I was the one who situated him on that bench. Every time I let go and stepped back, our small grandson wouldn’t sit still long. He was quick to lean forward and start moving as if he was going to crawl over the edge of the bench. So while this particular picture turned out great, there were probably multiple others showing my arm holding him or with me in the picture sitting him back up again. You couldn’t see it in that posted photo, but I was right there ready to grab him in order to keep him from falling.

On this Mother’s Day weekend, we are thankful for moms who were always there, watching over their children, and protecting them from harm. They may have been prominently in the picture of their children’s lives oftentimes, but other times they were out of sight, in the background, supporting and praying for their kids. Let’s be thankful for such moms today.

And let’s be grateful for a God who is like that too. He is always there for His children, for those who love Him and are putting their trust in Him. He isn’t visible. We aren’t enabled to see His hand holding us or wrapped around us, as some of the people in Daniel’s day witnessed a divine hand writing mysteriously on a wall. God doesn’t physically appear in those snapshots of our lives, but we know that He is there. In our joyous moments, God is right there nearby celebrating with us and clapping for us. As we face challenges, God is there to support us, encourage us, and give us strength to overcome. As we face tragic circumstances. He is there to comfort us, to wipe away our tears, to hold us close, and to enable us to keep going. As we deal with confusing situations, God is there, still in control, and making sure that all things are working together for good to those who love Him.  

At times we may feel like we are alone. We can’t see God, and we may not sense His presence. Nevertheless, by faith we know that He is there. He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Sometimes as we think back through some of the pivotal moments in our lives, we may not have been aware of it at the time, but now we can see God’s hand. He was there all the time, guiding us and protecting us. And no matter what we may be facing now or in the days ahead, we can be confident that He will be there just as He has been in the past. God is faithful. We can count on Him. He is the same God who loves us and is watching over us.

The Bible reminds us, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). We may not see those arms. Sometimes we may not feel them. However, they are there. They are “everlasting”. So no matter what you are going through today, remember that if you could see beyond the snapshot of this physical world, there are divine arms right there, holding you up, protecting you, and comforting you.