San Diego Psychologist Debbie Hall was asked to write for the new This I Believe series sponsored by National Public Radio (NPR). Her bottom line? “I believe in the power of presence.”

She came to this belief after working with the Red Cross in the aftermath or Hurricane Katrina. She and fellow psychologists were supposed to provide “psychological first aid” to those affected, but what she discovered was that just the mere presence of the psychologists brought relief.  She learned that  “true presence or ‘being with’ another person carries with it a silent power––to bear witness to a passage, to help carry an emotional burden or to begin a healing process.”

Those who have experienced loss can attest to the healing power of presence when others silently come alongside them. (Job experienced this same comfort the first week his friends sat with him after his incredible loss––before they opened their mouths that is.)

We need that same “presence” on a full-time basis, and God has provided it through the third person of the Trinity––the Holy Spirit.

This is why Jesus said, “But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7).

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.” (John 14:16)

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (I Corinthians 3:16)

God spoke to some Old Testament individuals, and a few even saw His glory. During his lifetime, Jesus walked, talked, ate, and interacted with many people. But not until Jesus’s death and resurrection did we have the opportunity to have God with us and in us -- always.

And the work of the Holy Spirit is multifold.  He …

Convicts us and the world of sin (John 16:18)
Draws us to the Father (John 6:44; John 15:26; I John 5:6)
Secures our Salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14)
Gives us Power and Love (Acts 1:8; Romans 5:5))
Helps us Pray (Romans 8:26-27)
Teaches us and Reminds us of Christ’s Words (John 14:26)
Helps us to obey (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
Sanctifies us (2 Thessalonians 2:13)
Counsels us (Isaiah 11:2)
Uniquely equips each believer (1 Corinthians 12:1-11)
Gives us Peace, Kindness, Goodness, and other “fruit.” (Galations 5:22-23

The Triune God is not only our creator and savior, but our minute-by-minute counselor and guide. Because of the resurrection, Christians have an opportunity that no one living prior to Christ’s coming had –– to be in continual relationship and communication with God himself.

You can blame my pastor for this one. I didn’t even know this promise existed until he mentioned it one Sunday. For him, it was just a “footnote” in his overall sermon, but for me it was a solid upper cut that sent me reeling and then on fact finding mission. Sure enough, there it was.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 emphasis mine) Yup, there it is. Trouble. No ifs, ands, or buts. Just you will have trouble.

I was taught that one verse does not a Biblical truth make. Too many people have created entire doctrines around one verse, often taking it out of context. The beauty of the Bible is that it will always provide internal support and proof. If something is true, it will be repeated in other verses without contradiction. So I kept looking, and the verses kept popping up.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

 “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Bummer. There it is again. We will have trouble. But then again . . .

Perhaps it seems like a strange promise to take comfort from, but I think we should be grateful that God gave us this promise. For now we can be ready. We know trouble is part of the human experience, so we should not be blindsided, feel betrayed, or bemoan our circumstances. God has told us we will have trouble. No, He has done more than that. He promised it.

But He promised something even more important as each of the above verses and all others in the Bible that mention trouble remind us and that is that our troubles are “momentary,” that God is “present,” and that He has “overcome.”

Yes, trouble is coming, but God is right there with us. As Psalm 91:15 tells us, “When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.”

Every one of us has dreams we strive to fulfill, goals we want to accomplish, and talents we wish to utilize. To realize all of these, to reach our potential is what Maslow calls self-actualization, and it is the pinnacle of his hierarchy of needs.

The U.S. Army capitalized on this desire with their longest running slogan “Be All You Can Be” (1980-2001).

The flip-side, however, can be devastating, and many a midlifer has experienced the disappointment that accompanies the realization that suddenly there aren’t enough years left to reach those goals, so now he or she must re-calculate future expectations in order to survive this “crisis.”

This is indeed a problem, but in truth, as Christians we do not need to suffer from dashed or derailed dreams, for God has provided us with a purpose that supersedes all others:

“Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made . . . .” (Isaiah 43:7)

Simply put, our purpose in life is to bring glory to God. That is why we were created, and we can fulfill that purpose anywhere doing anything.

Therefore, it doesn’t matter what we do, it only matters why we do it. Paul reminds us of that fact when he says, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31)

Knowing that our primary purpose is to bring glory to God should relieve us of any pressure we might feel regarding our future. In fact, God’s promise to Israel is also His promise to us:

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

And those plans were made long before we were born:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Yes we should still plan and set goals, but we must remember that ultimately our future is in God’s hands, and if we obediently submit to his leading, then we never need to worry whether or not we became all we could be. God has that covered as well.

“. . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Generation X. Millennials (or Gen Y). Centennials (or Gen Z or iGen). I hate to admit it, but I am older than all of them. For a long time this didn’t bother me. When I first started teaching, I wasn’t that much older than my students, but, of course, as the years accumulated, the age differential grew. Still the students didn’t seem to mind and never commented on it––at least to my face. The closest they ever came to saying something was when I would mention some ancient (to them) rock group, TV show, actor, or movie and all I would see would be blank stares.

When it DID start to bother me was when the young would draw unnecessary attention to my age––like the clerk at a British Costco who stared at my American Costco card and then said, “You’ve been a member of Costco longer than I’ve been alive.” I nodded and told him he could have gone all day without saying that. Or the eighteen-year-old movie teller who, when I asked for two tickets for the movie, looked at me, then my friend, then back at me and gave us one adult and one senior. Neither of us was even close to deserving that twenty-five cent discount!

Now, however, I have swung back the other way. If some young-un wants to even hint that I might be eligible for a discount then I’m taking it. It’s like putting the wrong sticker price on an object. You gotta live with the loss, buddy.

But more importantly, I value and appreciate these younger generations. They have the energy and excitement previous generations had when stepping up to take their place in society, and often they know a whole lot more than we did coming out of the chute.

Recently we honored our longtime pianist who was stepping down. He and his talent would be missed tremendously, but then I looked across the stage and there was now a young man on the keyboard, a young woman on the guitar, a teen on the violin, and a twenty-something on the drums. I smiled. God has a wonderful system going here. A relay of talent.

Yes, God uses all ages. Some he calls when they are older like Moses and Abraham. But many more He calls when they are young: Jeremiah, Timothy, David, John Mark, Samuel, Esther, Mary.

Each generation has its role and responsibility: the older to teach the younger (Prov. 22:6; Deut. 11:19; Joel 1:3), and the younger to be that new generation of godly believers. As Paul said to Timothy, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” (I Timothy 4:13)

Let’s do this together.