The Presence of God in Our Daily Life

“The Presence of God in Our Daily Life”

Psalm 16:8

“I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken”

Follow Him

The presence of God in our lives is in reality a mystery but God has a great desire to make Himself known to us. He has given and preserved His Word for us and it has never nor will it ever change. The Bible is still a trustworthy guide to lead us through this life. So then with full assurance we can say with the psalmist, “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.”

As we seek the presence of God, with our ears of faith open we will be able to hear Him say, “Seek my face”, and our heart should surely respond, “Your face, Lord, I will seek”. (Psalm 27:8 NKJV). When we accept and apply the promises of God we know that He is close to protect us from any and all the troubles and trials we face in this life. Each new day as we face whatever may come our way, we have the privilege and the faith to lift our eyes to the Almighty God who is enthroned in heaven yet He is never far from any of us, especially those who seek Him with all their heart for He will be found and dwell in our heart with the fullness of His mighty power.

If indeed the Lord is always before us, it would certainly be His desire to lead us in paths of righteousness. It remains then that it is our responsibility to walk closely with Him as He gives to us the power to live in His likeness. We must understand that it is always in our power to set the Lord before us because this is a personal choice we make each day.

“The Presence of God in our Daily Life”

Isaiah 40:31

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”. (NKJV)

Wait on Him

I have no doubt that God is with me because that is His promise and I believe that He is faithful to all His promises but due to some issues that are a part of living this life, I am feeling a bit frustrated as I am trying to write this devotional. I am in the process of waiting for the Lord to renew my strength so that I can go on and do His bidding.

Waiting is one of those things that we humans have trouble with mainly because we are always in a hurry to do “something” and time is of essence. However, in the scriptures we find numerous times we are admonished to “wait” and “be still”. Those of us who are well beyond our youthful years may be inclined to envy the seemingly endless energy of the young. But regardless of age those who wait on the Lord have an unfailing source of renewal as we go about the tasks He has given us. He supplies strength far beyond what we would normally expect to have and this energy often comes as we wait before God.

So, how do we “wait on the Lord”? We wait on God when we worship, study His word, meditate on the truth, and go to Him in prayer. We also wait on Him when we understand our own inability to cope with the issues we face at any given time and we wait for God to provide the help we need, comforted by the knowledge that He has our best interests at heart.

We must not expect the difficulties of life to be eliminated by the Christian faith. The Lord will not let us down for in “all these things we shall be more than conquerors through Him who loves us”. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 the Apostle Paul speaks to many of us, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”. With these words Paul reminds us that we may think we are at the end of the ROPE, but we are never at the end of HOPE. Waiting does help for God will indeed provide new strength so we can soar, run and walk as we serve Him.

“The Presence of God in our Daily Life”

Isaiah 40:31

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”. (NKJV)

Wait on Him

“The Presence of God in our Daily Life”

Matthew 28: 20b

…“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

Go With Him

In Matthew 28:19 when Jesus said, “Go and make disciples”, the Greek word for “go” is not a command, but a present participle, so what Jesus was saying was, “While you are going make disciples of all nations”. If we accept and believe that God is present in us then no matter where we are we should be witnesses for Jesus and seek to win others to Him.

A disciple is more than a convert or a church member. The modern description might be the word “Apprentice”. A disciple, then, is one who has believed on Jesus Christ and expressed this faith by being baptized. He remains in the fellowship of the church that he might be taught the truths of the faith. He is then able to go out and win others and teach them. This was the pattern of the New Testament churches.

In many respects, we have departed from this pattern. In many churches the congregation pays the pastor to preach, win the lost, and build up the saved. However, our churches would grow faster, and our church members would be stronger and happier, if each believer was helping and encouraging another. According to the scriptures this is the responsibility of every believer.

Many folks however, doubt that they can do these things so they fall by the wayside, but for those who take the Lord at His word and begin the journey that is laid out for them they will find they can do much in the power of the God who has promised to be with them. It is true that there may be falls, but the God who holds your hand will lift you up. You will be wiser, having learned to go slowly, being careful and cautious, and at the same time more confident.

Always remember, that Jesus, God the Son said, “I am with you always”, not now and then, not occasionally, but “Always”. God’s presence is always in you, that is His promise.

“The Presence of God in our Daily Life”

Psalm 23: 6b

… “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Not Home Yet; But…

The song writer has said, “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through”. The reality is that if we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and understand the truth of God’s presence in our life, we are actually citizens of two worlds; the here and now, and the forever home over yonder that is being prepared for us.

There is something special about the end of our work day as we look forward to going home. Our home in this world is God’s idea and I am sure he is pleased when our homes are filled with love and it is a place we look forward to going to. However, in the reality of living this life there are folks who do not look forward to going home for to them it is a lonely place for various reasons. There are also those who have no home to go to as each night they search for a place to lay their head.

David, the writer of the 23rd. Psalm understood the fact of having no home as he fled from the jealousy and envy of King Saul. As a shepherd boy David understood the role of the shepherd and as he lived out the various stages of his life he came to see himself as a sheep who needed the care of a shepherd. Each of us surely can identify with David as we also walk through the trials and troubles of this life. With God living in us we have the constant care and provisions we need.

David did not know what we know today. He never heard the words, “I am the resurrection, and the life;He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.” John 11:25-26. Just knowing intimately a God like he describes in Psalm 23, gave David assurance that at the close of life’s day he would go home. When we come to that moment, we will drop the last burden we have carried, our homesickness, as we hear God the Son say, “Welcome home”, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. O, the glory of being home!