Christmas now resides only in our rear view mirror. Although Christmas day is long passed, I'm still playing Christmas music in our bathroom as I prepare for the day. Although our decorations are put up (most of them), and most people have stopped playing Christmas music, there is one truth of Christmas that should always be with us. In fact, the most important thing about Christmas is not the presents under the tree or those that can be bought at a store. It's not the decorations or the Christmas music. The most important thing about Christmas is that God's presence is with us. There is nothing more important than the truth conveyed in the name given Jesus in Matthew 1:23. "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Jesus is Emmanuel. He is God with us.
I discovered several years ago the importance of His presence. It happened when I was employed at a Fossil Fueled Power Plant. While there I was sent down into a large oil tank serving a huge water pump. My job was to clean out the oily sludge in it. When I reached the bottom of the tank I began having difficulty breathing. I looked up at the opening I came through and the walls around me. Fear gripped me as the impossible began happening. The opening began to shrink and the walls began moving, closing in on me. I realized that in a matter of minutes I would be crushed. I closed my eyes and rehearsed in my mind, “This isn’t happening--solid steel walls cannot move and steel openings cannot shrink." But when I reopened my eyes the impossible continued. The walls were moving closer and the door would soon be too small for an escape. If I didn’t act quickly, this dark slimy tank would be my steel cold coffin.
Although things were not very clear to me at the time, I distinctly remember three things occurring almost simultaneously. I had reached the point where I was about to pass out (due to my hyperventilating). I was about to lose it emotionally and mentally with uncontrolled cries and screams for help. But thankfully, a third thing occurred. A thought, or rather a verse, from the Scriptures popped into my head, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). At the time I didn’t know its reference, but I knew its truth. They were the words of Jesus. They were the words I needed. They were my life-line to sanity. My fear had distracted me from God, but that verse had reminded me of God. Not one millisecond too soon I closed my eyes and began praying.
As I prayed, God’s presence became real to me, my breathing began to slow, and my fears faded. When I finished praying, I forced myself to take a peep. To my delight, the tank had returned to normal. As I cleaned the tank, I rejoiced. I had discovered what so many have searched for. I had found the power to control an uncontrollable fear. This power doesn’t come from within or from some self-help book. It doesn't come from a belief in some vague higher power or by tapping into our spiritual energies (whatever that means). Jesus was the answer. His peace can conquer our fears. He promises us His presence. We can trust His promise and draw near to Him in prayer. Drawing near to Him is essential. Why? Because it is His presence that provides us with a peace that passes understanding, regardless of the storm we are experiencing.
He has said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV). Notice He said "in me", not in my words. We need His presence. Being in His Word helps to bring His presence into our lives, but its His presence that brings peace into our fearful hearts.
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