The Primacy of Presence

The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)

Miracles witnessed make for unforgettable memories. A few of mine, all of which came with anointing with oil, include...

• Praying over two women, on two separate occasions, who had cancer, yet each of whom attended their next doctor's appointment to hear the doctor say, "You do not have cancer!"
• Praying with another woman who was diagnosed with MS the night she was in pain from symptoms. After prayer, the pain was gone and did not return!
• Praying over a man with diagnosed HIV and learning the next week that the doctors said he did not have HIV!

Original misdiagnosis? Maybe. Who is to say that the God I serve did not orchestrate a healing in such a way as this as well? All I believe is that God hand was in the healing, regardless of our human explanations.

Miracles uncomfirmed can be confusing and disheartening. There are prayers I have prayed that did not come out as I would have chosen, or as someone else would have chosen. I witnessed prayers over a deceased loved one once, prayers praying for an instant resurrection, that seemed to go unanswered and left a wife disillusioned.

I have come to the conclusion that we are praying for the Presence of God in such situations. His Presence brings both healing and miracles... and the wisdom to understand what is needed versus what we want. Clearly, they don't always match up. However, we learn some important things about the first mention in Scripture of the Presence of God that may help us.

The truth of the Creation story's beginning--the "genesis of Genesis," if you will--is the invasion of God into the place of nothingness, the place which lacked life. The Bible teaches that the earth was without form and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. Water was, to the Hebrews from which Moses (who authored this account) came, a place of confusion and death. When they faced the Red Sea, they were challenged to place a foot into the place of water, and when the waters covered the Egyptians, death came with it. Darkness was a place of secrecy (and also a source of confusion), a place of things hidden, and was complemented by the "emptiness" of the verse.

The Spirit of God enters all of this, and everything changes.

• His Presence is the beginning of bringing order from chaos. The story tells us that the dry land emerged from the chaos.
• His Presence brings secrecy into the open. The story tells us that He speaks light into existence. Darkness cannot exist when there is light present.
• His Presence fills emptiness. The story tells us that the world, over the course of 6 days, was filled with the infrastructure to support life, was given that which would order life's times, was filled with the life itself, and that the life was given purpose.

The Creation story is the the primacy of who God is and the primacy of His Presence--bringing order from chaos, openness from secrecy, light from darkness, fullness from emptiness, and life from death.

When I witness the miraculous intervention of God today, I have to think that such activity is the norm with God. We call it a miracle, but is it really? Is it possible that the "miraculous" brining of life from death and decay is really what God has done all along? What His Presence has always brought? 

When I do not witness what I feel I should, is it possible that I can accept that God will yet bring light into my confusion? Understanding where something is now hidden from me? Wisdom out of my chaos? Maybe it happens now, maybe later, maybe in eternity, but I have to believe it will happen!

I believe that the God of creation is the God who is King and directs the affairs of the universe, including the part of it I inhabit. I believe that the God who is King of kings and Lord of lords is present, and His Presence still brings life.

How have you experienced the life-bringing, order-inducing, purpose-giving Presence of God in your life? What reassures you that He is in control and that this is the best possible thing that can happen for you even when you cannot see it in the moment?