God Is Here

Last Tuesday, as we ended our visit to the ancient city of Ani and turned back toward its weathered walls, something among the dust and scattered stones caught my eye.

It was the Armenian letter Է—Eh.

I picked it up and held it before our pilgrims. Somehow, finding that seventh letter among the ruins of Ani felt like more than a coincidence. It felt like a quiet message.

Է is the seventh letter of the Armenian alphabet. In Scripture, seven is often the number of fullness and completion. God created the heavens and the earth in six days and sanctified the seventh.

The letter Է is also a word. In Armenian, it means “is”—the third-person singular, present-tense form of the verb “to be.”

When Moses stood before the burning bush and asked God His name, the Lord answered, “I AM WHO I AM” - Ես այն եմ, որ Է (Exodus 3:14). God did not reveal Himself merely as the One who was or the One who someday will be. He revealed Himself as the One who is—the Eternal Present.

So often we live anywhere but the present moment. We drift back into yesterday, carrying its regret, grief, or longing. We rush ahead into tomorrow, weighed down by worry and unanswered questions. And all the while, God is waiting for us right here, in this moment.

Prayer is the grace of stepping into the presence of the God who is already present.

There we stood in Ani, surrounded by churches built by generations of faithful Armenians. Their prayers, sacrifice, and love still live in those sacred stones. We were not among forgotten ruins, but within a living inheritance of faith. The God who received their prayers still receives ours. The Christ they worshiped still walks with us.

And that small letter seemed to proclaim: Է—He is.

Perhaps today you are carrying something from yesterday. Perhaps you are anxious about tomorrow. Be still for a moment. Breathe. Open your heart.

Yesterday is in God’s mercy. Tomorrow is in God’s hands. But today, God is here. Do not miss His presence by living somewhere else. Meet Him in this moment, in this prayer, in this breath.

Է—He is. And because He is, we are never alone.