Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Greater is He that is in you

Submitted by Elizabeth Hall, North Side Baptist Church
…greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world.  I John 4:4
Have you ever been somewhere where you really don’t belong? Like a fish dropped in a desert?
Earlier this year our family was able to travel to India. We spent a couple of days taking in the beautiful chaos throughout Jaipur during the Hindu Holi Festival. It was an incredible experience of complete sensory overload, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that in the midst of the millions of people crowding the city, our family of five was alone. This feeling was culminated as our Hindu friend, Ankit, graciously served us dinner in his home and led us to a celebration in an alleyway of his village.
Tears streamed down my face as we silently watched the priest recanting his prayers. Our hearts broke watching villagers perform rituals and place offerings into a fire. To this day, I still can’t put all of the feelings of that night into words, but to say I felt overwhelmed and out of place is a huge understatement. My husband gently pulled our children and me tightly to him and began to pray aloud to the one true God: “Greater is He”.
No matter the amount of darkness and chaos around us, greater is He. No matter the power of evil, greater is He. No matter who might oppose us, greater is He. No matter my weakness, greater is He. In that moment, huddled close to my family, I no longer felt that we were alone. I felt the peace and presence of the one true God fill me and surround us. Our children later told us that they felt Jesus there with us too.

Lord, I know that no matter where you may take me, I can confidently rest in Your promise that You are always with me (Matthew 28:20). I Invite Your peace and presence to surround me today (Colossians 3:15). Help me to step out confidently toward whatever You may have for me and trust that greater are You who is in me than he who is in the world. 

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