Are You There? (11/12/2025)

It was 1998, and it had been a bad day at the office. I left early and went home. It was no surprise that I found myself outside, on my porch, high above the rest of the neighborhood and the world around me. I started to cry, which was unusual for me. And I started to talk to the LORD, telling Him all about it. “Are You there?” I asked.

I’d never asked that before. But that day I felt completely alone. That quickly changed when I asked that question. Immediately my whole being knew the answer not because it was said out loud but because I felt the response – “I AM right here.”  And I knew. I was not alone.

I’ve had people ask me if I hear the LORD. I tell them, “Yes and No.” The LORD speaks and I know, but there isn’t an audible. Others have told me they experience the same thing – one minute uncertainty – the next certitude. Some seem skeptical when I describe it; I can understand their skepticism. However, I also know what I experienced. The LORD is here.

This morning, as I sat on my porch in the dark with my coffee and a heart full of love and a head full of questions and needs, I remembered that afternoon so many years ago. The memory came to me when I asked the LORD about today’s blog. And no idea came. Crickets. And I asked, “Are You there?” I know I thanked the LORD then, but I found myself thanking Him again for His persistence with me, for His perpetual loving presence.

The LORD is with us. The LORD is our guardian, the LORD is at our right hand. From where will our help come? Our help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth. I know this because Psalm 121 is my favorite. But more importantly I know this because I feel it especially in those moments when I am in need.

As we continue our journeys in faith, buoyed by the hope of His promises, and fueled by His love, let us also understand that He is with us always.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.