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Sharper Focus
by Kelly Pontsler, Major –
Do you ever wish you could be a fly on the wall? I do! (Are you shocked?) I’m not a fan of “Big Brother” (or reality shows, in general), and it isn’t about peering into the private lives of people. But I do wonder what it would be like to be present at some of the really important, history-making events that take place and listen in on the conversation leading up to those momentous occasions. You know the kinds of things I’m talking about: the signing of a peace treaty, the launch of a space exploration program, or the election of a General—“once-in-a-lifetime” events.
It’s one thing to read about such events after the fact. Good writing can describe the scene, and video can help us see who was there and what happened. But to be present in the very room, where you can sense the electricity in the air and the action registers with all of your senses, must be something entirely different!
I’ve just read the testimony of a young person who decided to participate in a 24/7 prayer event. He described how he entered the designated prayer room and could instantly feel the presence of God there. The air nearly crackled because God was in that place. It must have been exciting and humbling, all at the same time.
When David cried out in prayer to God, “Where can I go to get away from your Spirit? Where can I run from you?” (Psalm 139:7), it wasn’t because he viewed God as some kind of fingernail sized electronic spy gizmo that he’d discovered stuck under his telephone. It wasn’t because he realized that God was eavesdropping on his conversations, like a fly on the wall, and it suddenly got a bit uncomfortable.
I think David had just finally grasped the fact that God is already present everywhere. He’s not hiding from us, and we don’t have to go looking to find him. God’s presence is. Period. And that fact is reassuring, encouraging, powerful and challenging. I suspect that the air was crackling all around David as he wrote those words, because God was in that place. Psalm 139 seems to me to be the words of a man who found that encounter with God to be both exciting and humbling at the same time.
I’m not holding my breath, waiting for an invitation to the next peace treaty signing. But I am grateful for the reminder that our God is, truly, more than a fly on the wall!
We serve a mighty, caring, loving God. His interest in us is personal. His presence and accessibility are constant; we can encounter him day or night. Walk into any room—he’s already there. Just ask David.
If your prayer life needs some fresh air or a new spark, I highly recommend reading Red Moon Rising (Pete Greig and Dave Roberts). It’s available online at https://www.24-7prayer.us.