The Power of Presence

Sue and I have recently returned from a fortnight's holiday.  The first part, at least, didn't quite work out as planned.  After my Sunday evening service we headed up to Scarborough, intending to spend several days there.  On the Monday we heard news that our grandson, Ben, has been taken into hospital.  There is something about being relatively far away from events which makes such a situation feel even worse than it might otherwise have done.

As the day progressed Ben was very much in our thoughts and prayers, and we contacted friends and family to ask them to pray, too.  The news we received was not good, as the doctors seemed to think that the indications were that Ben had contracted meningitis, which of course is a very serious infection, and one which can prove fatal.

We know very well that prayer can be effective "from a distance".  Numerous people over the years have told me that they have experienced the blessings and strength which the prayers of others have brought, even though their praying friends were not physically present with them.  Sue and I knew that God could answer our prayers for Ben, even though we were a 3-hour car journey away from him as he lay in his hospital bed.  Yet despite this, I really felt that we needed to be with Ben and his family, and to pray over him personally.  So, late on the Monday night, we headed back to Leicester, and discovered that one of the benefits of driving at that time is the relatively quiet roads!

Early on the Tuesday morning we went into the Leicester Royal Infirmary and saw Ben and his mum, Megan.   Ben was clearly not himself, and was quite poorly, but it was lovely to be able to hold him in our arms and pray for God's blessing and healing power into our beautiful little grandson.

Ben slowly began to pick up, and we thank God that through a combination of prayer and antibiotics he is now well and back home with his family.  On reflection, it is quite possible that even if we had stayed in Scarborough and prayed from there, the outcome might have been just the same.  Yet at the same time I think that it was right on that occasion that we returned home.

There will no doubt be some situations where to be present with the person in need is just not possible.  We and Ben's mum and dad, Megan and Chris, are really grateful for the love and prayers which were received during Ben's illness from many people who were not in the hospital with Ben.  But there is undoubtedly something very powerful about actually being present at a time of need.  Often it's not the words we might say, but simply the act of showing our love and concern by being there - the Power of Presence.

One of the names given to Jesus is "Emmanuel" which means "God with us."  God is not a remote, far-away figure, but One whom through Jesus stepped into our world and became Present amongst us.  That's how much he loves us and it makes all the difference in the world.