Ever thought about where God hangs out? Where He rests? We understand from scripture that He's out there. But, in the universe? Outer space? Our upper atmosphere? The devotional today helps convey His presence, both within or without. In fact, way back with the beginning of the 'exodus', God instructed Moses in Exodus 3:14, with; "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." There had to be someway to convince the wayward people that God was 'out there'. His Spirit led them, but they followed an external God, except for a rare few.
Now, 1 Corinthians 3:16 reminds us; "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" His Spirit actually resides IN us. But not 'all of mankind'. Even now, God is 'here', but for so many people, only externally... as part of their jewelry, or in their rituals, and there are even many people who don't believe God at all. This does not mean He's not there. It only means they will almost 'never' understand (let alone have peace) in the midst of their calamity!
See? You may experience trials, trouble, and heartfelt woes, but when the Spirit of the Lord is 'within', His presence brings peace, joy, assurance, and especially hope! When He is only 'without', there is fear, questioning, doubt, blame. How to avoid this tumult? Psalms 25:14-15 declares it most poignantly, as; "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. (15) Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net." Too often, we want God to show us, then we'll trust. That was a devotional topic of ours in recent days (seeing is not believing), but when God is within, He nurtures, admonishes, grows you, protects you. Otherwise, He'd be in you destroying His own work... how contrary is that? God IS without, take the time to ensure He is within and your life will begin following His will.