Whither shall I go from thy spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

Psalm 139:7

The recurring phrase at seminary this week has been "the absence of God." As we look around our community our instructors have been asking us to be aware of the presence and absence of God in the people, situations and places around us.

The phrase really hit home in the past few days as I felt the "absence" of God in my own life. I have spent the first two weeks of seminary in some manner of shock. Going back to school is a big shock to the system after you've been out of school awhile. Your time gets all jumbled, old routines are out the window, and new ones have yet to be established. I've been in flux for a couple of weeks, and it's been increasingly hard to find God in this situation.

I find the feeling ironic, really. Here I am, in classes talking about God for hours on end, but I can't seem to find that feeling of God inside.

I was truly beginning to feel God's absence until I spent a little time reading Psalms. There in Psalms 139, underlined very boldly in my tattered Bible were the words I quote today. God reminded me that God is everywhere, and is never truly absent from our lives. If we "ascend into heaven" God is there, if we make our "bed in Sheol" God is there, if we "dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea" God is there.

It is often we who are absent from God. I have talked myself blue about God these past two weeks, but I never stopped long enough to spend time with God. Our lives can get so busy and out of hand that often it seems like God has fled from us, when in reality, we have fled from God.

Do as I will this week -- take some time to be with God. Remember to establish that contact every day, if not every moment, of your life. We are assured that God is always there, holding us and leading us. All we must do is acknowledge God's presence.

Blessings,
Candace