In college, I studied Voice and joined the Florida College Chorus.   Whether I was singing with a group in Chorus, or singing a solo at a recital: there was a common theme.  So. Many. Rehearsals.  Posture, breath control, facial expressions, hand placement, lyrics, vocal range…  We rehearsed these things so often, that when it was time to take those steps on the stage, memory would lead us from beginning to end with ease.  Stage fright could come and go, yet memory earned from hours of practice would hold us steady, for optimal stage presence.  

One of my favorite books, “The Hiding Place,” demonstrates in many ways how two sisters coped in the German Ravensbrück concentration camp.  Corrie and Betsie ten Boom were treated inhumanely, yet a focus on the Bible and Jesus helped them face horrific circumstances.  

An excerpt from “The Hiding Place” by Corrie ten Boom:

“‘That’s it, Corrie! That’s His answer. “Give thanks in all circumstances!” That’s what we can do. We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!’ I stared at her; then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.

“‘Such as?’ I said.

“I bit my lip. ‘Oh yes, Lord Jesus!’

“‘Such as what you’re holding in your hands.’ I looked down at the Bible.

“‘Such as being assigned here together.’

“‘Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all these women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages.’

“‘Yes,’ said Betsie, ‘Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!’

She looked at me expectantly. ‘Corrie!’ she prodded.

“‘Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed suffocating crowds.’

“‘Thank You,’ Betsie went on serenely, ‘for the fleas and for–’

“The fleas! This was too much. ‘Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.’

“‘Give thanks in all circumstances,’ she quoted. It doesn’t say, ‘in pleasant circumstances.’ Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.”

Betsie was right!  The fleas were so horrible in their room that the guards didn’t want to enter.  This allowed them some portion of safety, and allowed them to have privacy for Bible studies.  

~

In the Bible, Daniel and his friends were transferred to another country as young men, and in Daniel 1:8, we see that Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the King’s cuisine.  He was resolved ahead of time, and this gave him strength and courage to stand up to the King’s Chief Official.  In Daniel 6:10, Daniel prayed with his windows open, even though he knew of a new law meant to trap him.  He had been praying so regularly that his enemies knew exactly how to formulate a law that they hoped would lead to his death.

Consider Queen Esther.  When Mordecai asked her to petition the King on behalf of their people, Esther spoke of a law that could lead to her death. The law stated that she would be put to death if she approached him, uninvited (unless he extended his royal scepter), in Esther 4:10-11. She used wisdom, showed the King respect, and approached him with care, until she made her final request:

““If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.” (Esther 7:3-4)  

Like Daniel, Esther must certainly have faced fear, yet they both presented with courage, faith, and selflessness.  Betsie and Corrie ten Boom were able to be present with thankfulness, in circumstances of human torture… because they had God’s Word in their hearts and cherished His everlasting love.

 With the college stage now decades behind me, how is my “life” presence? I want to have God’s love and faithfulness written on my heart (Proverbs 3:3).  I want to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37).  I want to exalt and praise God, and meditate on His wonderful works (Psalm 145:1,2,5).  I want to forgive as God forgives (Matthew 6:14).  I want to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7).  I want to be thankful for eternal life through Jesus thanks to God’s love for us (John 3:16).  

While I relied on memory and hours of practice for successful stage presence then, God’s presence holds me steady now.  He is my rock, my refuge, and my shield (Psalm 18:2).