The Lord Is With You
ISAIAH 43:2
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you go through the rivers,
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Because the believer is called by The Lord's Name there is no cause to be afraid, nor is there any reason to be fearful of anything or anyone.
Exodus 3:12 "I will be with you."
Deuteronomy 31: 6 "Be strong and courageous."
Psalm 23:4 "The Lord is with me."
Psalm 73:23 "I am always with You."
Matthew 28:20 "I am with you always."
Just because you may not be hearing God's voice when you want to does not mean He is not right there with you while you go through dark or shadowy valleys. He is always with us. He is our Good Shepherd, The One Who leads us beside still waters where we can drink freely in peace. The One Who guides us along rock strewn paths and dry deserts: He is still with us. The One Who feeds us from His own table in the presence of our enemies.
The One Who fills our cups so full with the richness of His generosity that our cups overflow. The One Who feeds us from His staff of life, His heavenly Bread. The One Who guards us from all evil with His rod of justice and judgment; always watching out for us on the left and on the right. The One Who is always aware of His flock and where they are, even the untrained sheep who wander The Lord brings back to His fold.
Even when The Lord Jesus Christ was first laid in the manger, the angels who spoke to the shepherds on the hillsides just outside of Bethlehem informed them that there was no need to fear, but to have great joy: for now The Lord Who would rule the City of David had arrived. Fear left their hearts as they journeyed to the place where the prophesied King of Israel now lay peacefully in the manger.
Still the words go out to each and every one of us: Fear not, for I am with you always.
We are to look not on our circumstances but focus our eyes on His Word, seeking Him out. We are to set ourselves into His Word, as He is The Foundation of our life and all of our blessings flow from His hand. We will move ahead and not look back because we are following our Shepherd our Friend. We must not let our bodies dictate our commitment levels. Yes, we are in pain. Yes, we ache and hurt and groan when we move, but move we must and follow Him we will. For He has called us to follow Him and serve Him in whatsoever capacity He places us. I serve Him from here.
I love these little Bible studies and look forward to interactive responses. We are to encourage one another in The Word until Jesus returns to bring us home. Let us begin to do so even now.
