God With Us: A Reflection on His Presence

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The fog: it rolls in unexpectedly. It covers the landscape like a blanket. At times, it is so dense you can hardly see five feet in front of you. And at other times it resembles a veil, present, but thin enough to obscure your vision slightly.

Meeting God in the Mist

Many years ago, I made a trip to San Francisco, where I witnessed the rolling fog drifting in from the ocean. You could see the gray billowing clouds hovering over the waters as they made their way toward land. As I stood along the shoreline, the low, gray mass slowly sailed toward me until I was engulfed by the cool, damp mist it carried. I could feel the moisture on my face, smell the earthiness in the air, hear the droplets pattering on my rain jacket, and taste the condensation. The fog consumed me—completely.

That experience reminded me that, like the fog that envelops us, the presence of God also surrounds us in the very midst of our days.

Experiencing God’s Presence

There are times we are overwhelmed by the presence of God—the sheer weight of His glory, the power of His Spirit resting upon us. God’s presence, like the fog, can offer unmistakable evidence of His nearness: a heart bursting with praise, a spontaneous prayer language, unexplainable joy and laughter, miraculous healing, or the tangible sense of being filled and strengthened.

And then there are times His presence comes in simplicity—soft, subtle, steady. Indescribable love. Peace. Stillness. Rest. That quiet assurance that we belong to Him. It may not appear dramatic, but it is nothing short of miraculous: the gift of extraordinary grace to stand in the presence of our Abba Father as His beloved child.

The Invitation

Fog doesn’t just limit what we can see—it softens everything it touches. Images blur. Sounds muffled. The world grows quiet. The presence of God often arrives the same way—not with answers, but with awe. Not always with clarity, but often with mystery. And in that mystery, God invites us into something beautiful: encounter.

As fog moves without containment or predictability, so does the presence of God. We will never fully understand how He moves or why. We can chase understanding, or we can pursue intimacy by opening our hearts in humility to receive Him.

God With Us

As we start Advent, may we remember that even when the landscape is foggy, and clarity escapes us, God is with us—closer than the mist that surrounds us. And like the mist that dampens us, let us stand aware of God’s nearness, mystery and all, and be soaked by His presence.

“They shall call Him Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us.’”—Matthew 1:23

Reflection

• Where have I sensed God’s nearness recently—either in powerful or subtle ways?
• What areas of my life feel “foggy” right now, and how might God be present there?
• Which mystery of God am I being invited to trust rather than understand?
• How is God inviting me to encounter Him this Advent?