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I want to ask you a question: Where would you be today if you didn’t have people in your life who are simply there for you? I can tell you that God has blessed me with some dear people throughout my life who have always been there for me. People who cry with me and laugh with me, who share my burdens and my joys. Their presence in my life has made an incredible difference. I can’t imagine where I’d be without them.
That’s what I’m talking about this week—the ministry of presence. The incredible value there is in simply being there for others. When we become Christ-followers, we are commissioned by Jesus to serve others. After he washed the disciples’ feet at the Last Supper, Jesus said that he had given them an example of how they were to serve each other.
The ministry of presence is about being a servant—putting others’ needs ahead of your own. Jesus calls us to come alongside others and become a part of their lives. As Christians, we fulfill the law of Jesus by being present with people. It means we will serve people even when it might make us uncomfortable. It means we stand with people in the midst of their anxiety and fear, in their difficult times.
I’m truly challenging you and myself this week to take this ministry seriously. To actually ask God to show us what person in our lives needs our presence—simply needs us to be there for them.
For example, let’s say you work with a person who is going through something emotionally difficult—maybe a divorce or a recent death in their family. I find that when people are in these kinds of traumatic situations, they simply want a listening ear. Could you invite that person to lunch or coffee and simply listen? Not on company time, of course, but at a time and in a place that is appropriate, to be truly present with them, giving them your undivided attention.
Or could it be that there is someone very close to you—a mate or daughter or sibling—who needs to know that you’re not too busy to spend time with them? I think sometimes we can fail to see that those nearest to us need our presence—our total attention to them and whatever issues they’re facing.
You may have decided that you don’t have certain gifts or abilities, and you devalue the contribution you can make in the lives of others. I’m here to tell you today that if you are a Christ-follower, you are totally capable and qualified to have the ministry of presence. It’s just a matter of becoming intentional about doing it.