I Want to Be Where You Are

Pastor Calvin Cook
September 30, 2026

“I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” — Matthew 28:20

The last few days have been a wild ride. Days of doubt. Days of prayer. Days of following the unknown. Days of crying out, Why, Lord? But this morning, I pause with a thankful heart. Through it all, God was right here—even when I could not see it.

Gail has been very sick. We have spent much of the last couple of days unsure of what to do or where to go. When someone you love is hurting, the questions come quickly. Are we doing enough? What needs to happen next? You pray. You wait. You watch. Sometimes you pray the same words again because you simply do not know what else to say.

Then, last evening, we received a late-hour call from our doctor. His direction was clear: This is what I am suggesting you do now. There was urgency in his caring voice. So we listened. We trusted. We followed his guidance.

This morning, the healing is not complete, but Gail is well on her way to feeling better. It has required some tough love and changes to things that had become a crutch. Those changes are not easy, but through it all, God has been with Gail and me.

My thanksgiving also reaches beyond our own home.

Our friend Ed and his wife, Tami, his faithful companion through a journey lasting years, have experienced an answer to so many prayers. Early this morning, Ed received a new heart.

I think about the years of waiting and the exhausting days leading up to his transplant. Through every struggle, God remained faithful, and people continued to pray and call on the name of the Lord. Today, we give thanks for this long-awaited answer. Now our prayers for restoration continue—for healing and strength, for his medical team, and for Tami as she remains beside him. We also remember with gratitude and tenderness the donor and the donor’s family.

So much, in so many places, has kept me on my prayer toes. This morning, as I reflect on the last days, months, and even years, one simple statement keeps returning to me.

Someone who helped us through our struggles is facing struggles of his own. I admire his quiet, simple faith and his willingness to do what he believes he needs to do. This person, who helps so many and has built a good and successful life, is uprooting that life to be with his child and family. The treatment they need requires going to an unfamiliar place.

As we talked, I told him how much he would be missed.

His one-sentence response was: “I have to be where my child is.”

Those words have stayed with me for the last twenty-four hours. Through my doubts, through the scenes replaying in my mind, through all the conclusions I have tried to draw, I keep hearing them: “I have to be where my child is.”

In that father’s love, I caught a glimpse of the heart of our heavenly Father.

Through the night and into the early morning, Gail received three hours of IV fluids, and we received word that Ed’s heart surgery was successful. As the final prayer was prayed, rest finally came. In my heart, I sensed God’s reassurance: “See, I was there with you.”

I have read the Scriptures about God’s presence many times. I know that God is everywhere. Yet this simple statement helped me understand something more personally: God desires a relationship with His children. He knows where we are, and He draws near in love. I hear an echo of Jesus’ promise, I am with you, in those words.

Today, I seek forgiveness for the ways I have allowed doubt, worry, and grumbling to close my heart to His care. I confess the moments when I have considered giving up. And I am thankful that I can bring even that confession to the Father who loves me. Even though I struggle to pray, “Thy will be done,” and allow God’s will to unfold, I am beginning to see the greater and grander theme running through it all.

A loving parent wants to be with a child who is hurting. That parent listens, stays close, and seeks what will help. The child may not understand every decision or welcome every necessary change. Still, love remains present and keeps working for the child’s good.

That human love offers us a glimpse of God’s perfect love.

From the opening chapters of Genesis, we see that God created us for relationship with Him. We bear His image. We are called to follow, serve, and love. In Jesus, God came among us. Through the Holy Spirit, He continues His work within us.

This morning, truths I have read and preached for years are reaching a tender place in my heart.

God wants to be where I am. And God wants me to be with Him. Not just parts of me or at certain times, but all of me, all the time. This is what changing the atmosphere of our lives looks like—God with us, and us with God.

Now the question is: What will I do with that understanding? Will I listen? Will I receive His care? Will I follow when His direction requires change?

Please do not mistake this for a new philosophy or a promise that everything will suddenly be okay. There will still be questions, challenges, frustration, and pain. I may struggle again before this day is over.

But I feel better prepared to face what comes, knowing that my Father desires to be with me. He is guiding me toward His eternal kingdom, where His children will dwell with Him.

For that, I give thanks. And I pray that I never move away from this understanding.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the times I have doubted Your care and resisted Your leading. Thank You for meeting me through the faithful love of others. Continue Your healing work in Gail and Your restoring work in Ed. Sustain Tami, and surround this father, his child, and their family as they enter an unfamiliar place seeking treatment. Help all who are weary to recognize Your presence. Keep my heart willing to listen and follow. I want to be where You are. Thank You for wanting to be with me. In Jesus’ name, amen.