Trudy

Promises of God’s Faithful Presence

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark,
you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off.
You sit still and trust the engineer.”
~ Corrie Ten Boom

Where are You, God? It is so dark, I can’t see You. I feel so lifeless, I can’t feel You. Are You still with me? 

Do you ever feel this way? It’s scary, isn’t it?

I sometimes wonder… Does God wait to send us comfort because He wants us to learn to trust Him even in the dark? To trust more in the immovable truth of His faithful character? To trust He is watching over us even when we don’t feel it?

Precious Lord
In the dark nights of our souls
We want to remember Your promises
Promises of Your omnipresence
You are everywhere present
We want to have peace in the knowing
Even when we’re in the dark
Even when we can’t feel Your presence
You are a faithful God
You will never abandon us
No matter what we do or don’t do
No matter what we feel or don’t feel

Promises of God’s Presence

I Am WITH you.

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
  (Matthew 28:20)

I Am BEFORE you.

"It is the Lord who goes before you;
 He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.
 Do not fear or be dismayed."
  (Deuteronomy 31:8 AMP)

I Am BEHIND you.

"Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army,
 withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved
 from in front and stood behind them,
 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.
 Throughout the night the cloud brought
 darkness to the one side and light to the other side;
 so neither went near the other all night long."
  (Exodus 14: 19-20)

I Am UNDER you.

"The eternal God is your refuge, 
and His everlasting arms are under you."
 (Deuteronomy 33:27 NLT)

I Am IN you.

"My old self has been crucified with Christ.
 It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
 So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,
 who loved me and gave Himself for me."
  (Galations 2:20 NLT)

I Am ABOVE you.

"Who then will condemn us? No one—
 for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is
 sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us." 
  (Romans 8:34 NLT)

I Am BESIDE you.

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand
 and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."
  (Isaiah 41:13)

I SURROUND you.

"For You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble.
 You surround me with songs of victory."
  (Psalm 32:7 NLT)

I Am EVERYWHERE.

"Am I a God who is only close at hand?" says the Lord.
"No, I am far away at the same time. 
Can anyone hide from Me in a secret place?
Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" says the Lord.
  (Jeremiah 23:23-24 NLT)

“Faithful God”
by Laura Story

“Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy,
fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives,
filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit,
will brim over with hope!”
(Romans 15:13 The Message)

30 comments

  2. Dear Trudy,
    Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful words today. As I was reading the Corrie Ten Boom quote, I realized that the Lord had nudged me to re-read her book shortly before my journey into chronic illness. Oh! God truly is so faithful to us, sending just the right words to us, knowing what we will need for every situation. And, the song that you included is such a blessing as well. Love and Hugs to you, dear friend! xo

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    • I’m so glad you were blessed here, Bettie. When I think of what Corrie suffered, I see how minimal my own suffering is. God surely gave her exceptional grace, didn’t He? And He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Our lives can be hard, but time and again, He gives sufficient grace. May we rest in the amazing faithfulness of our God!

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  4. Wow, Corrie Ten Boom and Laura Story in the one post- two of my favourites! And though I love Laura Story’s music I hadn’t heard that song before so thanks for sharing it. I love the verses you selected too. I hadn’t realised how all those verses show in such detail how completely God surrounds us- that’s such an encouraging thought! Love and hugs to you, Trudy!

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    • I’m glad you were encouraged, Lesley. I love Corrie and Laura, too. Both have been through trials and God and both point to our only hope in Jesus. Love and hugs to you, too! May we rest in God’s all-surrounding presence even in the dark times!

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  5. Trudy, beautiful thoughts. It does seem like sometimes God puts us in places where we have to choose to trust Him, even when we can’t feel or sense Him. I’m so thankful that even when He seems far away, He’s as close as our next breath. And I love that Corrie Ten Boom quote. 🙂

    Thanks for these reminders, my friend!

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    • Thank you, Jeanne. I love how you say that even when He seems far away, He’s “as close as our next breath.” Comforting truth! May we trust our Engineer will lead us to the right destination!

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    • Hi Linda! I have been missing you and your posts, but I see I have one in my email box, so I’m looking forward to reading it. Yes, God’s got it all under control and He’s got us! May we sit still in God’s faithful love and trust the Engineer!

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  8. Dear Trudy,
    Love we were both thinking of Corrie ten Boom…love that quote about the train…those times of testing when God seems far away, and we cling to God and His promises, those are times of faith building and if we don’t let go of our ticket/faith, we will come out stronger for it…Prayed for you today, my friend 🙂 Love and hugs…keep clinging to Him. You’re stronger than you think you are….God is with you!

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    • Thank you so much for your love, hugs, encouragement, and prayers, Dolly! I just prayed for you, too. I love it, too, that we were both thinking of Corrie. God’s love and grace truly shined in her life. I love your thoughts about those times of testing being times of faith building. May we continue to cling to God’s promises, trust the Engineer, and hang onto our tickets!

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  9. Hi Trudy! I have been dealing with chronic back and neck pain lately, and believe me, it’s hard to sit still and trust the engineer. I keep wishing there was something I could do to help myself, but time seems to be the only remedy.
    Thank you for your uplifting Scripture passages here, it really helps to remind myself that God is in control, and that he hears me.
    God bless,
    Ceil

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    • I’m so sorry you’re still having trouble with back and neck pain, Ceil. Yes, it’s hard to sit still and trust the Engineer in those times. I’m so glad these Scriptures uplifted your weary heart. Yes, He truly is in control. Yes, He hears you. And He cries with you. God bless you, too! Physically and spiritually! May we learn ever more deeply to let go and let God drive the train we’re on!

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  10. Hi Trudy- This is so good to remember and so comforting- lately having felt I am in a wilderness season and things seem dark at times. I love the quote about trusting the engineer and your scriptures about God being all around me- So beautiful to see how covered we are and how close he is. Strange how he can feel far even though he isn so close. Anyway Thanks for this! xox

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    • I’m so sorry you’re going through a wilderness season, Susie. It can be so hard to trust God and His plan in the dark, can’t it? I’m grateful the quote and Scriptures gave you comfort. I know the feeling of how He can feel so far away. May we cling to our faithful Promise-Keeper and trust He is with us and within us even in those dark valleys when we can’t “feel” Him or see His ways!

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  11. Thanks for such a beautifully encouraging post, Trudy! I’m so grateful that God is faithful even in the tunnel. Sharing this encouragement for others today! Blessings to you!

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    • Thank you, Carlie. I’m so glad you were encouraged here. Yes, He is faithful even in the tunnel. That’s so amazing, isn’t it? Blessings to you, too! May we trust our Engineer who knows the way through the dark tunnels and never leaves us!

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    • I am sorry you had to experience that feeling before, June. It is scary. And yet in hindsight I can see how God used those times to make me stronger in Him. To trust His character instead of my feelings. I’m so glad these Scriptures give you hope and assurance. May we hang onto God’s hand even in times when we don’t understand or we feel so desolate!

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  13. This is beautiful! It is reassuring to know that God is in front of us, beside us and behind us. What a gift! The scriptures that you shared are perfect and God’s truth is what we need to hold on. I love the quote from Corrie Ten Boom. She had such great wisdom.

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    • Thank you, Mary. I’m glad you were reassured by these Scriptures. It’s so awesome that God is everywhere present within us and around us. I love Corrie’s quote, too. Yes, she had great wisdom, and it’s amazing how God uses her words to comfort hearts even today. May we continue to hold onto God’s immovable Truth even in the dark times!

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  14. Opening with such a wonderful quote from Corrie Ten Boom, followed by your beautiful, heartfelt prayer, reassuring words from Scripture and a lovely faith filled song from Laura Story make this a very helpful and encouraging post indeed. Faith walking isn’t for the faint-hearted, is it? To walk by faith and not by sight requires us to trust beyond what our eyes can see. Long, dark tunnels/night of the soul tend to derail us a bit. Though once we register that our Chief Engineer is not only maintaining the line but also acting as signalman, guide, luggage bearer and driver as well, then we can begin to get back on track, sit tight and relax! Thank you, Trudy, you always serve up such a sweet feast for the soul and keep us coming back for more. Blessings and love. xo ❤

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    • Thank you for your kind words, Joy. I’m so glad you found encouragement here. Blessings and love to you, too! I love the picture you give of the Chief Engineer playing all the various roles to keep us on track. May we learn an ever deeper trust for our Engineer and His all-wise plan!

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    • Thank you for taking the time to find previous posts, Anita. I’m so grateful God is giving you what you need to hear. May we learn to trust our Engineer even in the darkness of troubles! ❤️ back at you!

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