God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.
-Acts 17:27-28

Being in the presence of God is one of those things that, until experienced, can only be guessed at or speculated about. It is a precious and poignant place of regeneration and relationship. It is the place that the believer, once having experienced it, wishes to reside forever. It is the bomb, expertly dropped on a person's life that makes them a refugee fleeing the borders of cold religion into the vibrant land of the spirit of truth. It changes everything. That's it...all bets are off. A single touch of God's presence will refocus, realign, retool, reshape, reforge, recalibrate and utterly rename everyone that experiences it. So, where is He?

He is there, with you, right now. Really.

The presence of God is as much a decision as any other; a decision to accept your place in relation to Him; a decision to acknowledge dependance; a decision to release control of the moment, and in fact, your life to Him; a decision to allow humility to open your spiritual eyes to see who has always been, and always is, right there with you...a decision to reach out, in desperation, for God's merciful embrace. No, God is never very far from us. He is everywhere we are.

He was with us in our cars when we screamed at someone in front of us on the road who was driving too slow. He was with us in the grocery store when we were awkwardly counting out pennies for bread as waiting customers became agitated. He was with us when we got the news we had been dreading. He was with us when, against our judgement, we chose to look twice. He was with us, in church, when we were shaking hands and pretending to be happy. He was with us when we quietly wished we were someone else. He was there, at our births and he will be there to call us home. Believe it...believe it with a heart exposed to risk. You might be surprized just how fast his presence will arrive.