GOD NO DEY ABSENT

Devotional Thought

One of the greatest mistakes a believer can make is to interpret pain as proof that God has travelled.

Sometimes, because things are difficult, we conclude that heaven is silent, God is absent, angels are on leave, and our prayer request has been misplaced in the office of eternity.

But hear this clearly:

What is happening to you is not happening in the absence of God. It is happening in the presence of God.

The real issue is not that God is absent.
Sometimes, we are the ones absent in the presence of God.

God is present, but our faith is absent.
God is speaking, but our attention is absent.
God is working, but our discernment is absent.
God is calling us mighty, but our mind is still answering victim.

That was Gideon’s problem.

Israel was suffering under Midian. Their harvest was being attacked. Their confidence was broken. Gideon himself was hiding wheat in the winepress, trying to survive quietly. Then the angel of the Lord appeared and said:

“The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”

Ah! If Gideon were a modern church member, he might have replied:

“Angel sir, please check your address very well. Mighty man of valour is not living here. This is the department of fear, frustration, and emergency survival.”

Gideon looked at his condition and questioned God’s presence:

> “Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us?”
— Judges 6:13



That question is still alive today.

“If God is with me, why am I struggling?”
“If God is with me, why did I lose that opportunity?”
“If God is with me, why is my family passing through this?”
“If God is with me, why is my ministry under pressure?”
“If God is with me, why is the enemy still making noise?”

But God did not answer Gideon by giving him a lecture on Midian. God answered by revealing Gideon’s assignment.

> “Go in this thy might…”
— Judges 6:14



In other words, “Gideon, stop using your pain as evidence against My presence. I have been here all along. The deliverer you are waiting for is inside the person you are hiding.”

Sometimes God does not remove the battle immediately because He wants to reveal the warrior buried under your fear.

God No Dey Absent

God was present when Joseph was in the pit.
God was present when Joseph was in Potiphar’s house.
God was present when Joseph was in prison.
And God was present when Joseph entered the palace.

The location changed, but God did not disappear.

God was present with the three Hebrew boys before the fire.
God was present with them inside the fire.
God was present when they came out without smelling like smoke.

Fire does not mean God is absent.
Delay does not mean God is absent.
Tears do not mean God is absent.
A closed door does not mean God is absent.

Sometimes, God is not absent; He is hidden behind the process.

The problem is that we often want God to prove His presence by removing every inconvenience. But God sometimes proves His presence by giving us grace to stand inside what should have swallowed us.

We say, “Lord, where are You?”
And God says, “I am here. But where are you?”

You are physically in church, but your heart is absent.
You are carrying Bible, but your obedience is absent.
You are shouting amen, but your faith is absent.
You are posting scriptures, but your prayer life is absent.
You are singing worship, but your surrender is absent.

God no dey absent.
But many people are absent while standing in His presence.

When You Are Absent in God’s Presence

You are absent when fear speaks louder than God’s Word.

You are absent when your problem becomes bigger than your covenant.

You are absent when you allow yesterday’s disappointment to define today’s obedience.

You are absent when God calls you “mighty,” but you keep introducing yourself as “finished.”

You are absent when you are so focused on Midian that you cannot hear the angel.

Gideon saw himself as weak, poor, and forgotten. But God saw him as a mighty man of valour.

Beloved, God does not define you by your current location. He defines you by His eternal intention.

You may be in the winepress today, but that does not mean you belong there.
You may be hiding now, but God is still calling you out.
You may feel weak, but divine assignment does not always begin with confidence; sometimes it begins with trembling obedience.

The Lord Is With Thee

God told Gideon:

> “Surely I will be with thee…”
— Judges 6:16



That is enough.

Not “surely people will clap for thee.”
Not “surely everybody will understand thee.”
Not “surely there will be no battle.”
Not “surely Midian will apologize.”

No.

“Surely I will be with thee.”

When God is with you, lack cannot finish you.
When God is with you, delay cannot bury you.
When God is with you, enemies may gather, but they cannot write the final chapter.
When God is with you, even your hiding place can become your commissioning ground.

Stop measuring God’s presence by the absence of trouble.
Measure God’s presence by the strength He gives you inside trouble.