Devos With Davis: Remembering God’s Presence
Last week, I found myself standing outside the U.S. Capitol building. From every vantage point, I was surrounded by marble columns, gracefully carved stone and an ornate statue known as the Statue of Freedom, which sits atop this key legislative building. As I came closer, the sun shone brightly, and a cold gust of wind nearly knocked me over. It still felt like I was walking in a dream; and then I heard the worship music.
Amid my awe and astonishment, I turned around and tried to figure out where the music was coming from. When I peered into the distance, my eyes and ears were drawn to the Supreme Court building, which stood only 169.9 feet from the Capitol building (according to Google Maps, I checked). The worship music reverberated throughout Capitol Hill as someone joyfully sang Chris Tomlin’s “Holy Forever” near the highest court, and I almost forgot where I was.
I’ve never lived in Washington, D.C., but that day, standing beside the seat of the United States Congress, being surrounded by worship music strangely made me feel at home.
Most of my time that day was spent in the Cannon House Office Building, as I was reporting on a special Liberty event celebrating the new presidential administration.
I was amazed by the intricate detail that was carved into every square inch of that room. I found myself trying to imagine the types of conversations exchanged by the congresspeople that had conspired in that very same room throughout the years.
That day, several congressmen and women greeted the audience, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, as they then discussed their newfound hope for the country since the election cycle had finally drawn to a close. It almost felt as if those members of Congress were also inspired by the worship music I had heard outside, as most of them centered their speeches around the ideas of hope, peace and Christianity’s role in U.S. history.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) discussed a lesson she learned from reading passages about Abraham, Isaac and Job.
Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) captivated the students with his career history and the lessons he learned while being a former NFL player, chimney sweep, security guard and now a house representative. His message focused on perseverance and that he finds it better to be humble than to be humbled.
Owen’s words reminded me of Galatians 6:9 which says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
With all these stirring words in mind, I found myself leaving the building perplexed. I had never expected to have heard from all those leaders and feel God’s presence so strongly throughout that entire day. Originally, I had thought traveling to the Capitol would have felt foreboding, and instead I was joyful because it felt like I was standing in the midst of something much greater than I could have fathomed. And then it hit me, much like the gusts of wind from earlier that day.
God’s presence is not contingent on our circumstances. If you always look at a situation, whether it is good or bad, and don’t feel God’s presence, it isn’t God that is the problem. God has never, and will never forsake us, but humans can, and often do, forsake him. Consider: Where is your faith, and what are you focused on?
It’s like when someone with glasses tries to take a photo without their glasses on. When the individual looks through the viewfinder, nothing is clear, but when they snap the photo, the picture turns out looking just fine. It’s key to understand that while the camera may work perfectly fine, we will never be able to truly see and appreciate what is in front of us without God’s help. Once we lean on the Creator — our hypothetical glasses, it’ll be much easier to find clarity. There is always hope when we set our sights on the Lord and let him bring the whole picture into focus.
Psalm 37:23-24 is a good reminder of this as it says, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”
Davis is the Editor-in-Chief of the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.
