Why do believers love to quote the verse that says "wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them"?  It has been pointed out that the context of this verse suggests that it refers to excommunicating someone, which is not a pretty scene at all.  Yet we quote it at key moments to assure ourselves that God is with us.  But why to we need this verse for that? And why do we pray for God to "be with us today"? Do we really have to ask for that to be true?

Jesus said that the Father is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.  Among other things this means that place and time are nonessential when it comes to communing with God.  As Jesus said in another place: the Kingdom isn't "out there" somewhere but "within you."  The Spirit of Christ has come to live within you so that He is closer to you than your very breath.  The New Testament is saturated with statements about the life of Christ in you, which is the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).  He is not "up there" somewhere watching you "down here" as you live your life.

So let's move beyond quoting things like "God inhabits the praises of His people" (try to find that oft-quoted but poorly translated verse!) to convince us that as long as we're doing the right thing we can have a small measure of God's presence.  In reality He is more present than you are!  Let's chew on that thought for a while.

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