In His Presence

Oswald Chambers was born before the turn of the 1900's and died on November 15, 1917.  As I came to the end of the story of his life, I realized that he has been dead for 102 years.  Even though so many decades have passed and even though so many new generations have been born, the daily devotional he authored still remains as one of the premier spiritual guides ever written.  The more I read about this man's spiritual journey, the more I see his spirit in the words of "My Utmost for His Highest."

 

When he died in Egypt, his wife, Biddy, sent a cable to friends and family in England and Scotland.  The cable which shared the news of his death simply read, ""Oswald in His Presence."  Those who read the words knew.  Oswald Chambers had died.  Of course, to turn the pages of the book is to come to the conclusion that this saint of God who learned to live in the presence of Christ long before his death only walked into a more intimate sense of divine presence in the moment of his dying.  Oswald Chambers carried with him a sense of expectant wonder and anticipation concerning what God was getting ready to do. 

We all know from the Word that the abiding presence of Christ is with us.  Some of us live with a greater awareness of this inner presence than others.  However, the reality of the presence of Christ does not depend on our feelings or emotions, but upon His promise to us.  Chambers was one of those who lived inside this promise with what appeared to be an amazing degree of consistency.  His living faith caused those who experienced his death to see it as only another step in the presence of Christ.  While in the presence of Christ in the temporal realm, he stepped into the presence of Christ in the eternal realm.  Would that it could be so with each one of us.