Life is a series of choices, and God lets us decide for ourselves on one of the most important choices of all–whether to focus on our problems, or on Him. Focusing on our problems weighs us down, and keeps us from seeing Him clearly. But even when we turn our eyes away from God, He’s still waiting for us to acknowledge His presence. When we involve Jesus in our lives and let Him intervene on our behalf, we have perfect peace.

Some people turn to earthly sources to find the answers to their problems, but God’s wisdom is infinite. When we shut out all distractions and study His Word, we discover that He’s all around us. God is on our side, and He’ll never leave us (Romans 8:31, Matthew 1:23). He’s really all we need.

 Life can be scary, but both the Old and New Testaments tell us time and time again not to be afraid (Psalm 27:1, Psalm 118:6, Hebrews 13:5). In ancient times when God’s people encountered enemies who were more powerful, they didn’t need to worry when they obeyed Him. David’s small stature didn’t matter at all when he went against Goliath in battle, because God was with him. Even when David made serious mistakes later in life, God didn’t abandon him.

When Joseph was thrown into prison after his brothers sold him into slavery, God was with him even there. Joseph found favor with the warden and prospered after his release from prison, because of God’s presence in his life (Genesis 39:21-23). Joshua was another example of how God promises to give us His presence permanently. “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5).

In modern times, we can come up against tough circumstances, but God has promised us He’ll walk with us and give us victory. No matter what adversity we could possibly encounter, He’s bigger. If at first it doesn’t seem like He’s with us, we can train ourselves to experience His presence by meditating on Jesus. Jesus is the personification of God’s love, and when we begin reading the Bible, we can see examples of His love everywhere.

Whatever we’re facing, we can either try to struggle with it on our own and eventually lose hope, or acknowledge His presence and ask for His guidance. When He shows up, He’ll handle the situation perfectly (Psalm 97:5). When God goes to work, mighty things that we could never orchestrate begin to happen.

His encouragement during trying times gives us hope, shields us, and lets us lift up our heads (Psalm 3:3). God talks to us during our darkest times, even when we make mistakes and stumble. When we sin, we face the consequences, but God will never cut off communications with us. His presence has always been available to us.

When Cain killed his brother Abel, he created a huge dilemma for himself, but God kept the dialogue going and promised to help him and spare his life (Genesis 4:1-16). Regardless of time or space, and no matter what we say or do, He’s always willing to manifest Himself in any situation. When we ask for His intervention, He’ll honor that request. We can rejoice knowing that God, Who made us, loves us and wants to be with us.