Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Security in the Presence of God
In my last post I talked about one of my recurring dreams. Today I wanted to mention another one. There are different variations of this dream. But it always has to do with water. I could be in an immense and deep indoor pool. Or I could simply know that there is a large indoor pool wherever I am, and I am eager to go in it. Or I could also be in a large body of water like the ocean, far from the mainland. In the dreams, there are always other people with me as well. Some people might think these dreams would be scary. But they are not. A lot of times I will dive deep into the water, just for fun.
In these dreams I feel a sense of freedom and safety. These dreams remind me that, thanks to Jesus, I am free. And they also remind me that I am always safe, thanks to the Lord. Even though life will have some scary circumstances and tough battles, the Lord is always with us. There is a deep security and peace in that knowledge and understanding. Sometimes we might know something in our mind, but we don’t truly feel it in our heart. And there is a big difference in that, especially in regards to trusting the Lord. We might have been told that He is always there, but until we get a deeper belief, we don’t have the same security.
One thing that helps me to have that deeper relationship and understanding of God’s love and protection is His presence. And in order to tap into that, I have been trying to remember to focus on the presence of God. “Trying to remember” is half the battle, because our lives keep us so busy and it is easy to forget. However, throughout the day, we can pause and remember that the Lord is with us. Just taking a moment to think about that brings comfort.
And we can also invite Him into all that we do. When we are working, we can seek His guidance and wisdom. This is something I do often when I am stuck on a difficult task.
We can also invite the Lord to join us as we are doing chores around the house. Thinking about Him and praying will make cleaning bathrooms less painful!
We can invite God into our conversations. Whether talking to a loved one or a stranger, we all have had times when we said the wrong thing. And we all have had times when we wish we had said something, but didn’t. If we simply remember that the Holy Spirit is there, this can help guide our words.
These are just few examples. But it is not only about seeking His help throughout the day. Merely remembering that He is beside us helps us to deepen our relationship with Him. James 4:8 says if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.
Perhaps you have a feeling that there is more to Christianity? Maybe you don’t normally feel God’s presence in your life? Or maybe you just want more of God, but you are not sure where to start?
Tapping into His presence will help. We simply lean into His presence. We remind ourselves that He is right there. Throughout the day, we can pray or we can remind ourselves of promises found in the Bible or we can just acknowledge that God is in the room with us.
(Bonus: I have a series of posts coming up on abiding in the Lord that will also help!)
Focusing on God’s presence in our day is simple, but not necessarily easy. Our minds tend to wander and worry. So we have to steer our thoughts back to Him throughout the day. But if we are consistent, the rewards will be great.
This, in turn, will help us build on our relationship with Him. He will become a trusted Friend. We will have that feeling deep down of how much He loves us. And His love will bring us comfort, peace, safety, and freedom in our lives. No matter what we are going through, we can feel secure, knowing and believing that God is always there.
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. – Psalm 91:1-2 NLT
Thank you for reading!
© 2022 Bridget A. Thomas
Bridget A. Thomas 
“Lean into His presence.” I love it! Thank you, Bridget. God Bless!
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That imagery does bring comfort! Have a good day, David. God bless you too!
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Focusing on God’s presence in our day is simple, but not necessarily easy. Our minds tend to wander and worry – gosh I can relate to that sentence so much. We know he is with us but we get so caught up with the day and forget that we have to lean into His presence. Your words remind me to be more intentional with it. I think if we actively remember that truth through the day it would make such a difference when Satan tries his tactics with us. It will also remind us to be more Christ like in every situation.
Love the reminder Bridget and looking forward to your posts on abiding in Him.
Blessings my friend 💙💐🤗
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I agree with everything you said! It is difficult to keep our minds focused on God’s presence when we get caught up in the busyness of our day, or when the enemy tries to derail us. You are right, it requires being intentional. Very good point too about this helping us to become more like Christ! Thank you, Manu! Blessings to you too, my friend! 💙🤗🦋
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I love the comfort of His presence!!
I try and keep in communication with Jesus all throughout the day by staying in “prayer mode” (not sure what else to call it)—but this and reading His word brings hope and comfort.❤️ Great post Bridget!!
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Pray without ceasing. That’s what it’s all about! And I agree, the Lord and His Word definitely bring comfort. We have a loving Father 🥰
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❤️
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I am really trying to build this into my day. Too often I just don’t spend enough time. Need to get into much better habits, something that happens automatically. Your words are wonderful.
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I understand. It can be difficult, and time seems to slip by. I have days where I do well, and some where I don’t. Over time, if we keep at it, like you said it will happen automatically. Thank you for stopping by! 🤗
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Debbie Kay, over at Hope for the BrokenHearted, shared a Note to Self. Sorry I don’t remember who she was quoting, and I’m paraphrasing: If your mind wanders while you pray, maybe you need to pray about what’s distracting you. I’m trying it. I wish I’d learned that a lot earlier.
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Such a good point. A friend also told me once that she heard when a person we know pops into our mind, we should pray for them. I like both of those ideas. Thank you for sharing, Judy!
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That does sound like a relaxing and enjoyable dream. It certainly reflects the peace you find in Jesus. God gives rest to those He loves. Bad dreams are a reflection of our stresses and anxieties. The more we can hand over to him the more restful our minds should be when we sleep. Of course there are also times when anxiety is caused by something physically being off kilter in our bodies, but maybe God allows these ailments for our analogies and metaphors. Like how your dreams showed me that you diving deeper into the water in you dreams brings you a sense of joy. Usually it’s the opposite. Usually we are so afraid to dive deeper because of the dangers. But when we dive deeper into Jesus we should find joy not things to be afraid of because perfect love casts out fear. We must be close to Him to understand that perfect love. Thus, we also must dive deeper. ❤ Your post has been a blessing Bridget. It was very thought provoking. Thus I became jabbery. 🙂 Enjoy your weekend my friend.
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I love your thoughts and how you put that! I haven’t thought about it from that perspective – diving deeper into Jesus! I am not a great swimmer, so thinking about how safe I felt was interesting to me. But I truly love your spin on it. I need to remember to dive deeper every day! Thanks so much for sharing that with me. And you weren’t being jabbery. I enjoyed hearing your thoughts! You have a good weekend too, friend 🦋
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I look forward to your abiding series Bridget! “Abide” is my go to word to self, when as you say I feel there’s a disconnect happening between what I know in my head, but I’m not feeling it in the heart. Have a blessed weekend!
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I love that Abide is a go to word for you. It is my one word for 2022. And I know it will continue to hold a special place in my heart for a long time. A few years ago my word was seek, reminding me to seek the Lord. And now I continue to love that word. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a blessed weekend too! 🦋
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Thank you Bridget. This was very comforting to me. Life gets hard at times and remembering God’s presence brings peace. He is right with us anytime we need Him.
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Very true. I agree. He is always there. It’s amazing to remember that our Almighty God never leaves us. 🥰
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Thanks for sharing your dream too!
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You’re welcome! And thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. 🤗
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Yes, singing some praise songs, reciting some scripture, listening to uplifting, worshipful podcasts–all can help make housework less bothersome, including cleaning the bathrooms! Thank you, Bridget! We miss out on so much when we let busy-ness steal the blessedness of practicing God’s presence.
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Such very good points, Nancy. Praise music, Scripture, and faith based podcasts are all great ways to steer our minds in the right direction. When we fill our minds with things of the Lord, we have less room for the junk that the enemy tries to throw at us. And I believe busyness is a tool the enemy uses at times to take our eyes off of the Lord. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your insight! 😊
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“No matter what we are going through, we can feel secure.” Yes! Beautiful post, Bridget!
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I am so thankful for the security the Lord brings to our lives. Thank you for stopping by, Crystal!
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