413. Dwell in the Midst
Zechariah 2:10,11 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee.
This promise causes singing and rejoicing in the Church, for the lord comes and will dwell in the midst of His people, and in the midst of each individual believer. The Bible records this kind of promise of the near presence of God in various ways: God is with us; God surrounds us; the Lord is near to us, and He is in us are some examples. We also come into the Presence of the Lord; take refuge in Him; run into the Temple of the Lord; go to heaven; and enter the kingdom of God are examples of us moving to be with the Lord. Either way, whether we go to God or God comes to us, it is the same thing. Although, it is better to say, “I am going with Jesus,” than to say, “Jesus, come with me,” since we can’t ask Jesus to go with us if we are going the wrong way.
The point is clear: The Lord lives in our midst. The promise is necessary, since we don’t always feel or sense the presence of God. But of course, the truth does not depend upon our feelings; it depends on God’s promise. And we have His sure Word: He is with us whether we are aware of it or not. Our conscious awareness of the presence and nearness and within-ness of God is not always going to be possible, but we can intentionally remember the promise and reactivate the truth that the Lord God is in fact living in us. The more often we become conscious and aware of the presence of God within the more we experience love, peace and joy. There some things we can do to increase our awareness of what is always true: for example we go to church, we read and hear the Word, we go to Communion, we remember our Baptism, we fellowship and pray with believers, and such like activities.