I shared in the sermon Sunday a conversation I had with Will, a recent transplant to Waco.  In the last year he uprooted his life from Arkansas.  This sparked a number of curious questions on my part: Why did you leave Arkansas?  What brought you to Waco?And on and on.  Will provided me a great story.  He told me about the job he worked for the previous 10 years. His employer hired a young whippersnapper and within a year of working for the new boss, Will was being traded in for a younger, hipper version.   He told me, “It was a really difficult time.  It was hard not to focus on what was being taken from me.”

Will went on to describe how a friend called him and invited him to Waco. He was able to sell his house in Arkansas in the blink of an eye.  He bought a house in Woodway sight unseen.  Everything worked out great.  Soon after moving to Texas, Will had a lunch meeting that led to a job. He loves the new work.  He told me, “I was so focused on what was being taken from me, that I was unable to see what was being provided to me.  God was there.  God was by my side. God was working.” Ultimately, this is a story about the presence of God.

We all need to be reminded of the presence of God.  As Jesus told us in John 14:18, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Thank God for his presence.  I encourage you to memorize that simple but profound verse. Whisper it to yourself often.