Surely the Presence of the Lord is in This Place

Surely the Presence of the Lord Is in This Place 

Jesus… stepped forward to meet them [the soldiers].  “Who are you looking for?” he asked.  “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.  “I am He,” Jesus said… And as He said “I am He,” they all drew back and fell to the ground.  John 18:4–6 (NLT) 

I stared at the invitation. It was an introvert’s worst nightmare:  A holiday coffee. A house full of strangers. Only two women I even knew, the hostesses, who would be busy welcoming and taking care of everyone. 

Everything in me wanted to decline. I had plenty of “legitimate” excuses: writing to do, chores waiting, puzzles I’d much rather finish than engage in small talk with a room full of unfamiliar faces. 

But the Spirit nudged. Hard. So I said yes and immediately wondered why. 

The morning of the event I piddled. I stalled. I changed tops, re-fixed my hair twice, swapped earrings like I was prepping for the red carpet. I still had time to grab lunch. I still had time to back out. 

And yet…I kept getting ready. 

Traffic was a bear. As I traveled through one congested intersection after another, I kept thinking, Why am I doing this again? 

When I finally arrived, Teresa, someone from a Bible study I hadn’t attended in months, greeted me at the door like a long-lost friend. “We have really missed you!” she said as she wrote my name tag. 

That simple sentence opened the door to a heartfelt conversation about how God had been working to draw each of us into deeper relationship with Him and the Holy Spirit. 

My “functional extrovert” took the reins, and two hours flew by. I connected with new friends … writers who invited me to join their weekly Zoom group. I reconnected with friends I’d lost touch with. I discovered one now lived fifteen minutes from me and was looking for a church and Bible study. 

I left with phone numbers, invitations, and a heart full of something I hadn’t expected: a consuming sense of peace and joy. 

Driving home, a holy wave of realization hit me: Surely the presence of the Lord was in that place. He had been working behind the scenes the whole time, arranging conversations, opening doors, weaving together threads of belonging I didn’t even know were loose. 

Strangely, it reminded me of my scripture that morning -- the moment in the garden when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus. 

They asked for Jesus the Nazarene. He stepped forward and said, “I am He.”  And the sheer force in the revelation of His divine presence and glory sent them stumbling backward. 

The coffee gathering wasn’t quite that dramatic, of course. But the recognition that he was there bowled me over. And the song came to mind*: 

Surely, the Presence of the Lord was in that home;  I could feel the “brush of angel’s wings” in those conversations;  I could feel “His mighty power and His grace” in the strangers-turned-friends.  And I knew without a doubt, it was him. I'd been with the Lord. 

Reflect: When have you walked into a place or activity you weren’t sure about, only to look back and realize God was there waiting for you? Sit with that for a moment. Remain alert to what small, brave “yes” He might be inviting you to today. 

Pray: Lord, thank You for going ahead of me and being present in places long before I arrive. Help me say yes when You nudge me, trust that You are already at work, and recognize Your presence in the ordinary moments of my day. Make me brave and bold enough to follow You, even into rooms that feel unfamiliar. Amen. 

By His Grace,  Gloria Ashby  Lay Leader 

*Surely the Presence of Lord is in This Place, by Lanny Wolfe