2 Thessalonians 3:16 The Lord be with you all.
I was praying for a friend, “Lord, be with them today.” But as I said it aloud, I began to wonder why I was praying for God to be with someone, when it is a fact known to us as Christians that God is with us all the time. I hear people say, after a close call of some type, “God sure was with me and watching out for me that time.” And I think, isn’t He always with you? So I go to the Word of God to dig deeper!
Numbers 14:43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.
Amos 5:14 Seek good and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11 Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, life in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Philippians 4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
I know that God has been with me in those times of my life that I was rebellious and not seeking Him – the protection and His promises of grace were always with me, even when I wasn’t cognizant of them. Perhaps it would be more fitting to say that I was not with God and therefore could not experience the fullness of His presence.
When Paul was shipwrecked, God was with him and protected him along with the entire crew. Paul was in dire straits, but God was with him and working through him. However, when the Israelites were engaged in battle with the pagan nations around them, God did not fight for them if there was sin in the camp. Furthermore, He let them know about it in no uncertain terms!
My prayers still include the petition for God to be with someone, or with me. But it is no longer a trite thing. I pray that we align ourselves with the will of God, so that His presence is fully with us and engaged with us in power and truth. I want to be with Him, and He with me, in every sense. Jesus is my Emmanuel!
What do you think? Further insight always appreciated!
You are very right. There is no where we can hide from an omnipresent God. If we go to the depths He is there. We can't hide, but sometimes we may feel His presence in greater measure and sometimes we may have to grope for Him with out having dome anything wrong. But, our sin can keep us from feeling his presence. Great post!!!
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