Tag Archives: Presence

DEAR GOD: You Are Like The Wind~

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a field of flowers with a windmill in the background

“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth.” — John 3:8

The God Who Moves Like the Wind
by C D Swanson~

  LORD You are like the wind — unseen yet unmistakably present, sometimes a mighty force and sometimes a warm whisper over tulips in a quiet field. John 3:8 captures that mystery with such beauty. It reminds us that God’s Presence is not always visible to the eye, but it is always discernible to the heart.

There are days when His movement feels like a gale, pushing you forward when you didn’t think you had strength left. He becomes the force that clears what you could never move on your own — old fears, heavy burdens, lingering doubts. His power sweeps through like a storm that rearranges everything for your good.

And then there are days when He comes like a gentle breeze, brushing against your spirit with warmth and tenderness. You feel Him in the quiet moments — in a soft thought, a sudden peace, a memory that comforts you, a stillness that settles your soul. Like wind over tulips, He moves with care, never crushing, always lifting.

But the most beautiful truth is this: He is always moving. Always present. Always working. Even when you cannot see Him, you can feel Him. Even when you cannot trace His hand, you can trust His heart. His presence is the invisible current that carries you, surrounds you, and keeps you.

The wind never stops. Neither does He.

LORD, thank You for being the unseen strength that surrounds me. Move through my life today in whatever way I need — whether as a mighty wind that clears the path or a gentle breeze that comforts my soul. Help me to feel Your Presence, trust Your movement, and rest in the assurance that You are always near. In Jesus name, Amen.

DEAR GOD: Your Love Is Rooted Firmly In Us~

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That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love…” — Ephesians 3:17

When His Love Becomes the Center of Everything
by C D Swanson~

To be in love with Christ is not a momentary emotion — it is the slow, holy awakening of the soul to the One who has loved you since before you took your first breath. It is the discovery that Jesus is not simply a figure in Scripture, but the Living Presence who steps into your real life, your real struggles, your real fears, and your real hopes.

Loving Christ is not about perfection. It is about Presence — His Presence in you, and your presence before Him. It is the quiet realization that He is the One who has walked with you through every valley, even the ones you didn’t think you would survive. It is the moment you understand that His love is not fragile, not conditional, not dependent on your performance. His love is rooted, eternal, and unshakeable.

When Christ becomes the center of your life, everything shifts:

  • Your wounds become places where His healing light enters
  • Your fears become invitations to trust
  • Your failures become testimonies of His mercy
  • Your loneliness becomes a doorway to His companionship
  • Your identity becomes anchored in who He says you are

To love Christ is to finally breathe. To finally rest. To finally know that you are fully seen and fully held.

It is the daily choice to say, “Lord, I am Yours,” even when life feels heavy. It is the quiet courage to believe that His love is stronger than your past, deeper than your pain, and more faithful than your doubts.

And in that love — that deep, steady, unchanging love — you find who you truly are.

🌼 Reflective Question

Where in your life do you most need to let Christ’s love steady you today?

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” — Jeremiah 31:3

LORD ,let Your love take root in the deepest places of my heart. Teach me to walk in the truth of who You are — faithful, gentle, and unchanging. Let Your presence steady my steps, quiet my fears, and shape my life. Draw me closer to You each day, until loving You becomes the truest thing about me. In Jesus name, Amen.

DEAR GOD: Keep Me Grounded in Your Word~

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“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” — Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV)

Grounded in His Love
by C D Swanson~

To be grounded in His love means to stand on something that cannot be shaken. Life shifts, people change, bodies age, and circumstances rise and fall — but the love of the LORD remains steady beneath your feet. His love is not a mood, not a reaction, not a reward for good behavior. It is everlasting, meaning it existed before you were born and will remain long after every fear has passed.

When God says He loves you with an everlasting love, He is declaring that His affection is not fragile. It does not weaken when you feel anxious. It does not fade when you feel small. It does not disappear when you face medical decisions or moments of uncertainty. His love surrounds you, holds you, steadies you, and keeps you from falling into the places your mind sometimes wanders.

To be grounded in His love is to remember that you are not walking into anything alone. Not an appointment, not an injection, not a moment of fear. His love goes before you, stands beside you, and follows behind you. It is the quiet strength under your feet and the gentle hand over your heart.

 

🌿  Where in my life today do I need to pause and remember that God’s love is the ground beneath me?

🌿  “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” — Deuteronomy 33:27 (KJV)

 

🌿 “LORD, steady my heart in Your everlasting love. Let Your Presence be the ground beneath my feet and the peace within my spirit. When I feel uncertain, remind me that Your arms hold me, Your love surrounds me, and Your strength carries me. Keep me rooted, calm, and confident in You. In Jesus holy name, Amen.”

DEAR GOD: You Never Forsake Us~

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God Is With Us - Portlaoise Parish

 

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” — Hebrews 13:5 (KJV)

 Never Forsaken, Always Held
by C D Swanson~

 

There are seasons when life feels heavier than we expected — when the road is uneven, the answers are slow, and our strength feels thin. Yet even in those moments, God’s promise stands unchanged: He will not leave us. He will not forsake us.

His presence is not dependent on our mood, our energy, or our circumstances. He walks with us through the valleys, steadies us in the storms, and strengthens us when we feel worn down. His peace reaches places inside us that nothing else can touch. His faithfulness does not waver when life becomes difficult.

Even when we cannot see the way forward, He is already preparing the next mercy. Even when we feel alone, He is holding us with a strength that does not fail. Even when the world feels loud, His peace is deeper still.

Where has God strengthened me this week, even in small or quiet ways?

🙏 

Lord, thank You for never forsaking me. Hold me close today, steady my heart, and fill me with Your peace in every circumstance. Let Your strength carry me where my own strength cannot.  In Jesus name, Amen.

DEAR GOD: Drawing Near To You Daily

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How Do I Draw Near To God

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” — Psalm 145:18

Drawing Near to You
by C D Swanson~

  There are moments when the nearness of God feels like a quiet breath against the heart — gentle, steady, unmistakable. He does not wait for us to be perfect, polished, or strong. He draws near because He loves, and His love is not fragile. When life feels uncertain, His Presence becomes the anchor that steadies the soul. He steps into the room of our thoughts, calms the noise, and reminds us that we are never navigating anything alone. His nearness is not earned; it is given. And when we call on Him sincerely, He answers with peace that settles deeper than words.

 “LORD, thank You for drawing near even when I feel far away. Teach my heart to rest in Your Presence and trust Your steady hand. Let Your nearness be my comfort, my clarity, and my courage today. In Jesus name, Amen.”

DEAR GOD: You Are All I Need -Forever~

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"Sensing the Need for God" - Sunday May 31, 2020 - Blue Ridge Chapel ...

Psalm 73:25 — “Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.”

My Only Desire, Forever
by C D Swanson~

Full Essay Commentary & Intellectual Tribute

There are verses that whisper, and there are verses that thunder softly across the centuries. Psalm 73:25 is one of those rare declarations that stands outside of time — a soul’s cry that is as relevant today as it was the moment it was first breathed into existence.

“Whom have I in heaven but thee?” This is not a question of curiosity; it is a confession of allegiance. The psalmist is not merely acknowledging God’s supremacy — he is acknowledging God’s exclusivity. Heaven itself, with all its glory, would be empty without the Lord. The verse strips away every lesser affection and reveals the core truth of the human soul: we were made for God, and God alone satisfies.

“And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.” This is the earthly echo of the heavenly cry. It is the heart saying, “Everything else fades. Everything else shifts. Everything else disappoints. But You — You remain.” This is not isolation; it is devotion. Not withdrawal; but anchoring. Not rejecting the world; but recognizing that nothing in the world can take the place of the One who formed it.

In a world of noise, distraction, and relentless demands, this verse becomes a compass. It calls us back to the center — to the One who is not merely part of our life, but the very source of it. It reminds us that spiritual maturity is not measured by how much we know, but by how deeply we desire Him.

And today, in an age of fractured attention and divided loyalties, this ancient cry becomes even more radical. To say “I desire none beside Thee” is to reclaim your soul from the world’s endless tug-of-war. It is to guard your time, your mind, your devotion, and your quiet hours with a holy fierceness. It is to say:

“Lord, You are not an addition to my life — You are my life.”

This longing is not weakness; it is wisdom. This devotion is not outdated; it is eternal. This desire is not unrealistic; it is the very design of the human heart.

And when you say, “I need God only,” you are not rejecting the world — you are placing everything in its proper order. You are choosing the One who never changes, never leaves, never fails, and never stops drawing you closer.

Reflective Thought

What would shift in your life if you truly lived as though God were your only lasting desire — the One you return to, the One you guard time for, the One your soul leans toward in every season?

Prayer for All

Lord, teach us to desire You above all else. Quiet every competing voice, steady every wandering thought, and draw our hearts back to the place where You alone are enough. Let our days be shaped by Your Presence and our lives anchored in Your love. In Jesus name, Amen.

DEAR GOD: Prayers & An Awakening~

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man in black suit jacket sitting on brown sofa
Her Prayers Became My Awakening: An Interview
by C D Swanson~
Introduction: Glen is a retired banker living in the quiet, pine‑lined hills of central Vermont. His home sits on a ridge where the seasons move slowly, and the mornings carry a kind of sacred stillness. He spends his days walking wooded trails, tending a small garden, and learning how to live with both grief and grace. Beneath his calm exterior is a man shaped by profound loss, unexpected revelation, and a spiritual awakening he never imagined. This is his story — one marked by anger, surrender, and the God who met him in the ruins of his heartbreak.
CD: Glen, thank you for agreeing to this interview. I know this isn’t an easy story to revisit.
GLEN: You’re welcome. Talking about her still hurts, but it also honors what God did through her. And I promised myself — and the Lord — that I would share it when asked.
CD: Tell me about your wife. What was she like?
GLEN: Her name was Marissa. She was gentle, steady, and full of a quiet faith that didn’t need to announce itself. She prayed constantly — not loudly, not dramatically — just faithfully. Especially for me. At night she’d rest her hand on my arm and whisper, “Lord, draw him to You.” I’d pretend to be asleep. She always knew I wasn’t. Scripture says in 1 Peter 3:1 (KJV): “If any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives.” That was her. She lived the Gospel in front of me long before I ever believed it.
CD: You weren’t a believer at that time?
GLEN: Not even close. I was a banker — numbers, logic, what I could see and touch. Faith felt unnecessary.
I told her once, “You’re wasting your prayers on me.”
She just smiled and said, “God never wastes anything.” I didn’t understand that until everything fell apart.
CD: What happened when she became ill?
GLEN: It was sudden. Too sudden. One week she was humming hymns while planting tomatoes. The next week she was in a hospital bed, fading faster than I could accept.
And I was angry. Angry at the doctors. Angry at the world. Angry at God — a God I didn’t even believe in.
I kept thinking, why her? Why the one who believes? Why the one who prays? Why not me?
But she never questioned God. Not once.
She held my hand and whispered, “Glen, if God takes me home, He’s still good. And He will still come for you.”
I didn’t want to hear that. I wanted her healed. I wanted our life back. But she kept praying — even when she could barely speak.
CD:  Oh, Glen, that had to be so difficult. Can you share her final words to you?
GLEN: She squeezed my hand — weak, but intentional — and said, “Don’t run from Him anymore. My prayers don’t end here.”
Then she smiled. And she was gone. Just like that! One moment in time, she was gone.  My world collapsed in that moment. I felt like I died with her. I wanted to be with her. I just wanted to die with her.
CD:  I’m so sorry. Glen -After she passed, what was life like for you?
GLEN: I was furious. Furious at God. Furious at life. Furious at the unfairness of it all.
I walked around the house like a storm. I slammed doors. I cursed at the ceiling. I told God — the God I claimed didn’t exist — that He had no right to take her. I smelled her perfume. I rummaged through her clothes, which still had her scent on them. I hugged her pillow. And I just was miserable, aching and lonely for her.
The house felt too quiet. Too empty. Her Bible was still open on the kitchen table. Her handwriting filled the margins. Her sweater was still draped over the chair. Everything felt frozen in time.
I didn’t want comfort. I wanted answers. I wanted her back.
CD: (We paused here during this disclosure. It was pretty intense.) Glen…what was the one defining moment — if any — that brought you to your knees?
GLEN: There was a moment. A moment that broke me wide open. I was in our bedroom, pacing, yelling, grieving, raging — all of it tangled together. I felt like I was losing my mind. I grabbed her pillow, held it to my chest, and I just collapsed onto the floor.
And in that moment — that raw, ugly, desperate moment — something inside me shattered. All the anger. All the pride. All the disbelief. It all cracked open.
I cried out, “God… if You’re real, I need You. I can’t do this alone.”
And He met me. Not with thunder. Not with visions. But with a breaking — a holy breaking — that felt like the first breath after drowning. That was when I found the note. It was tucked away in her Bible in the back of the book. I lifted the Bible off the table, and it trickled down to the ground.
In her beautiful handwriting this is what the note said, I’ll read it to you. 
Lord Jesus,If my time on this earth is shorter than we hoped, then let my last gift be this:Please bring Glen to You.Open his heart.Break through his walls.Let him know the love I have prayed over him all these years was only a shadow of the love You have for him.Don’t let him walk this life alone.Draw him, hold him, save him.And if I cannot stay, then let my prayers stay in my place.Amen.”
That was the defining moment. The moment I fell to my knees. The moment everything changed. God was there all the time with me. And He healed me and gave me a new spirit.
Scripture says in Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
I didn’t know that verse then. But I lived it.
CD:  Oh my gosh Glen. Wow- what an amazing testimony. I am overwhelmed by your story. What did that moment mean for your faith?
GLEN: It was the beginning. The beginning of surrender. The beginning of healing. The beginning of God taking the pieces of my life and showing me, He had been there all along.
Her prayers didn’t die with her. They carried me straight to the feet of God.
CD: What does your faith look like now?
GLEN: I’m still learning. Still grieving. Still healing. But I’m not alone anymore.
I read her Bible now. I pray the way she prayed — simple, honest, steady. And every day I thank God that He answered her prayers… even after she was gone.
People say she didn’t live to see me saved. But I believe she did. I believe God let her see the fruit of every prayer she ever whispered, and had a front row seat to witness it.
CD: If Marissa could hear you now, what would you say?
GLEN: I’d say, “You were right. God came for me. Your prayers worked. And I’ll see you again my beauty.”
CD: What do you want others to take from your story?
GLEN: Don’t underestimate the power of a praying wife. Don’t underestimate what God can do through heartbreak. And don’t wait until you lose everything to find Him. If God can reach a man like me — stubborn, angry, closed off — He can reach anyone.
Her prayers outlived her. And I’m the evidence.
CD:  Glen. My gosh – thank you for sharing your testimony. And thank you for sharing your journey and heartache, which now is filled with peace. Thank you for this interview.
GLEN: You are so welcome. I wanted the world to know about my beautiful wife, and for others who have a non-believing spouse, that they should never give up. God hears your prayers. He really does. He heard my wife. And look at me now! Just look at me now!
CD: Yes, look at you now!  Amen. Nothing is impossible with God.

DEAR GOD: Precious Moments All For You~

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sun reflection on calm water near green mountains

Psalm 27:4 (KJV) “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.”

 

Precious Moments All for the Lord
by C D Swanson~

 

There is a holy simplicity in David’s words — a narrowing of life down to its truest longing. One thing have I desired. Not many things. Not scattered pursuits. Not the restless reaching that so often fills our days. Just one thing: to dwell with the Lord, to behold His beauty, to live in the nearness of His presence.

This verse invites us into a quieter way of being — a life where the sacred moments are not rare interruptions but the steady rhythm of our days. Moments where we pause, breathe, and remember that God is not far off. He is the One who meets us in the stillness, who fills ordinary spaces with extraordinary peace, who turns simple minutes into holy ground.

To “behold the beauty of the Lord” is not merely to admire Him, but to let His character reshape our own. His gentleness softens our edges. His faithfulness steadies our fears. His mercy teaches us how to forgive. His light shows us how to walk. And His love — deep, unwavering, unchanging — becomes the anchor of our identity.

When we “enquire in His temple,” we are choosing to bring our questions, our uncertainties, our hopes, and our dreams into His presence. We are choosing to trust that He guides, He speaks, He leads, and He holds our future with tenderness. These precious moments with Him are not wasted time; they are the very moments that shape us, strengthen us, and draw us into the life He designed.

Every quiet prayer, every whispered “Lord, help me,” every moment of worship, every pause to remember His goodness — these are the precious moments that belong entirely to Him. And in giving Him these moments, we find that He gives us Himself.

🙏 Prayer for All God’s Children

Lord, draw every one of Your children into the beauty of Your presence. Teach us to seek You, to rest in You, and to find our strength in You alone. Let our days be filled with holy moments that remind us of Your nearness and Your love. Amen.

DEAR GOD: A Moment In Time With You~

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the sun is shining through the trees in the woods“With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” — 2 Peter 3:8

Poem: “A Moment in Time With the Lord”
By C D Swanson~

A moment in time with You, O Lord, is more than hours, more than years— it is eternity brushing against my soul. For with You, a single breath holds the weight of a thousand dawns, and a thousand years dissolve into the warmth of one holy moment.

When I walk with You, time is not a clock but a companion— a gentle witness to Your everlasting love. In Your Presence, nothing is rushed, nothing is wasted, nothing is lost.

One heartbeat with You outshines a lifetime without You. One whisper of Your Spirit outlasts the ages. And one step on Your eternal road becomes a forever I never want to leave.

🙏

“Lord, Teach me to rest in Your eternal rhythm. Let my moments with You stretch wide and deep, full of peace, full of color, full of Your presence. Help me remember that Your timing is perfect, Your love is endless, and every second spent with You is a treasure that outlives time itself. Hold my heart steady in Your forever, and let my days reflect the beauty of walking with You. In  Jesus name, Amen.”