The presence of the Father is so very meaningful to me. In fact, His presence is my LIFE.

This realization has not come easy. I only know today the beauty and power of my
Father the way I know it, because of the "times of tragic" in my yesterday. One of the biggest of "tragics" in my life
was the sudden death of my dad when I was 14.
While we were living in Saudi
Arabia he was bitten by a poisonous snake
and died. This indescribable loss propelled
me onto a journey to mend and fill a nearly empty and badly broken heart.

In the midst of suffering, God was present. I am so thankful for the heritage of faith in
my family. I knew that God cared and
that He was in control. I knew that He had heard us begging and pleading for my
dad to be healed. I knew that He loved
me. I knew that I could come to Him in
prayer and meet Him face to face in His Word.

And so, as I brought the aching in my heart to Him, I very
quickly found Him to be my perfect Father.

But as I said, it has not been easy. There has been much for Him to teach me and
much for me to trust Him for. It has been
a process to recognize how many of my thoughts, attitudes, desires, and actions
have stemmed from loss. And I continue to learn.

And, while God fulfills the longings of my heart, I still
feel the pain. I still miss my dad every
day. Over the course of the years, in
every stage, and in all of life's seasons there has been an empty seat that has
belonged only to him. But I know that I am not the only one who has had a heartache. That's the reality of life in this
world. There is suffering all over the
place. People are hurting. People are in great need. What I now have to give to a hurting and
lonely world is the presence of God in me.

God has walked among the suffering of my life and brought
His presence. In His presence there is
healing and comfort. In His presence
there is tenderness and lovingkindness. In
His presence there is life, and there is hope.
And in His presence there is fullness of joy.

Where are you hurting today?
What have you lost? I want to
encourage you to turn toward Him in your tragedy, in your sadness and despair,
in your loneliness and suffering, and in your sickness and pain. There is not a person on this earth who can
meet the deepest needs of the heart. There is nothing that can satisfy the
longings apart from Him.

You will be truly amazed at what He can do as you turn and face
the Father.