When you know that Christ lives in you, then you can say with David, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). But it’s good to remember that a prayer for Christ to be with a Christian in trouble is a prayer that has already been answered. It’s good to pray that a person will be aware of the presence of Christ as they move through a time of trial.

Lord, Jim is undergoing this great trial, please be with him.” I’ve prayed like that many times, as I am sure you have. It is somewhat redundant, “Lord, Mary is sick, please be with her. At your lowest moment, when you feel isolated, abandoned, and alone, you can say, “The Lord is at my right hand, therefore I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8). If you are in Christ and Christ is in you, He is with you wherever you go. Here is what the Good News of the indwelling Christ means for the Christian. But if you don’t, I hope you’ll be awakened to what it really means to be a Christian, and that you will not rest until you can say with clarity and joy, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). I hope you know what I am talking about from your own experience. If you feel that all this is beyond you, I simply ask you this question: Can you see that if the Spirit of Jesus Christ were to live as an honored guest in your soul, to dwell in your mind and heart, to settle down in your desires, and in your conscience, and even in your memories, if that were to happen, it would be entirely different from you doing your best to be a good Christian? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was born in the manger, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, lives by His Spirit in the soul of every Christian believer.

Here is a great reality that stands at the center of the Christian life.

Who we are in christ