Be Present
by Annalene Holtzhausen
The closing words of a podcast I recently listened to ended with these words: “Be present to the person in front of you, and to God inside you.” These words have been in my thoughts for the last couple of days, and they reminded me of today’s scripture. How amazing is the knowledge that the Holy Spirit dwells in us permanently! He doesn’t leave for a while to attend to someone or something else. He doesn’t even leave us during times when we are acting in sinful ways that don’t honour Him. He is with us, and in us, always.
I recently had to apply for the renewal of my driver’s licence, since it expires every five years here in South Africa. The process is quite frustrating, as you often have to queue for a long time. An eye test is also required. You can either have the eye test done at the centre where you are applying, or you can obtain a certificate from your optometrist. In the days before my appointment, the thought went through my mind to call the optometrist and ask for an eye test certificate. But I was rushing around, and, unfortunately, I did nothing about it.
Well, my eye test wasn’t successful, because I was wearing mono-vision contact lenses. I forgot that the eye test at the centre wouldn’t work with these lenses. The result was that I had to drive all the way to the optometrist, and then back again to the licence testing centre, almost a thirty-minute drive each way.
I was telling a friend the whole story, when she gently reminded me that maybe the nudging to get the eye test certificate was the Holy Spirit prompting me. We had a good laugh about the whole ‘mission’ to renew my licence. But it made me think about being ‘present to God inside me’.
He is with me to lead and guide me, and to share in the things I do every day. He shares in my joys, and He helps me in times of trouble. He is literally present in every part of my life. But I realise He can only help me when I am attentive to Him, and my mind is set upon His guidance and presence in my life. Acts 17:28b is a beautiful reminder of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. ‘For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being]...’
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
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