God is Always With You

Many (possibly most?) people experience high levels of stress on a daily basis. Always having something more to do and not getting enough sleep are the norm. Feeling like you can’t keep up or you aren’t doing as much as you should be is common. People are worn down and worn out!

God knows that we believe that we are what we do. He knows the pressure we put on ourselves to be always accomplishing, always doing…He understands that we judge our worth by what other people think of us. Are we admired? Do people think we’re ambitious enough? How successful are we compared to our neighbor, our coworker, our friend?

Family, home and work obligations run on a continuous loop. Peace and rest sound like a lofty goal. We do truly need help having peace in our lives.

God has the power to give you many good things. And one of the greatest of those good things is peace!

In Jeremiah Chapter 17, verses 5-8, it is written:

This is what the Lord says:  “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” [NIV Bible]

Believe in God and ask Him to bring peace into your life. When God blesses you with His peace, you will know it. It will feel like you’re doing something you’ve never been able to do before! It is exciting to be blessed with God’s peace because it doesn’t depend on having good circumstances. You’ll know it’s God when He gives you peace while you’re facing trouble. Link yourself to God and let Him give you the amazing gift of peace!

In Psalm 27, verses 1-3 it says:

The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.

In this psalm, salvation is spoken about right in the beginning. It is given top billing because it is a priority of this life. To receive your salvation, you must believe in the One True God– God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Son, Jesus Christ. These Three form the Holy Trinity, the three parts of the One True God. By believing in the One True God; by believing that Jesus was sacrificed as an atonement for our sins, by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will be saved and receive your salvation. Salvation is the assurance of an eternal life with God when this life is over.

Salvation is your ultimate victory, because no matter what you face in this life, no matter what you go through or what you fear, you can be confident and encouraged by knowing that this is a short life, but it’s not your only life!

This Psalm describes a situation that seems hopeless, but God is mighty and His power is immense. When you face a situation that you just can’t handle, pray to God, asking Him to take over. Tell God you are overwhelmed. Tell Him you don’t know what to do. Tell Him you can’t think of a way out. Pray with sincerity in your heart, believing in God and His ability to help you. When you seek Him this way, He will respond to you.

Immediately you will feel His presence. You will be reassured by Him. You will experience the relief of knowing that He is there with you, that you aren’t going through this misery by yourself, with no one to help you.

Knowing you are in God’s care, that He is with you and is always willing to help you gives you courage! You will become bolder, more able to face tough situations that struck you down before. Every time you face trouble with God beside you, it strengthens you to fight another day. You will be able feel joy and peace in the midst of trouble by the power of the Almighty God!

God will build you up in Him. He will make you stronger than you’ve ever been. You will be able to do things with God beside you that you’ve never been able to do before! As you put into practice trusting God and depending on Him to guide you and help you, you will be able to say, “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. [NIV Bible]

Salvation, which is the assurance of eternal life with God when this life is over, is your ultimate victory.

I read newspapers regularly, and I often read the obituaries. I see a picture and learn about a family. Young faces catch my eye.

This is not morbid curiosity. I understand the devastation of losing someone close to me. My mother died suddenly when I was 13 in a car accident. Reading the obituaries gives me the opportunity to pray for the families who are suffering.

Grief is in a class of emotional pain all by itself. It is agony. The harshness of being separated against your will from someone you love is brutal. Missing them is misery.

God knows we fear death. He understands how powerless it makes us feel. He understands how threatened we are by it and how deeply we feel the pain of grief.

Where can we find security in a world where death can come without warning? How can we live knowing we will die?

In John Chapter 10, verses 27 and 28 Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.” [NASB Bible]

God offers us something no human being can–the assurance that we have more than this life to live. God will give eternal life to you, your family and your friends. All those who believe in Him and the One He sent (Jesus) will be received personally by God Himself when they die.

Pray, open your heart to God, read the Bible and believe! Pray for your family and your friends to believe in God, too. Talk to the people in your life about God. If they are resistant or uncertain, pray for a change of heart. Lead whoever you can toward God.

The length of this life is unknown to us. No greater comfort exists than knowing that the ones you love are in the hands of God.

Proverbs Chapter 24, verse 16 is a favorite Scripture of mine.

It says: for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…[NIV Bible] It’s a good thing that I don’t earn my own righteousness, because I fail to be righteous so often. In God’s eyes, you are made righteous by what you believe and have faith and trust in. Righteousness is a gift from God in response to our faith in Him as the One True God, and our belief that Jesus was the once and for all, perfect sacrifice for all of our sins.

Only God Himself is capable of forgiving our sins. God’s forgiveness is the foundation of freedom for us. It allows us to start again. It allows us to crawl out from under our mistakes and regrets and pain.

I love this Scripture because it tells me that I can still make it, I don’t have to give up. As sullied as I sometimes feel by the wrong things I do, I know God forgives. The love of God rehabilitates me.

There are times when I feel so fragile, I don’t know how to put myself together again. But God does know how to help me, and He does it even knowing that I will fall again. It is God Himself Who makes us rise again, by His power, not ours.

There is an old church hymn that really describes the hope that God gives in the lowest of low times. It is called, “Love Lifted Me.” We sang this song at my mother’s funeral, and it has always stayed with me. The words are simple and simply life changing.

It starts:  I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore. Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more. But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry; from the waters lifted me, now safe am I!

And the chorus: Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help, love lifted me! Love lifted me, love lifted me. When nothing else could help, love lifted me!

In Psalm Chapter 139, verse 13, it says:  For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. [NIV Bible]

God created you and He wanted you to be born. He gave you talents and abilities. God has made every person unique and special. No one else can be who you are! You live your own particular life, with your own experiences, thoughts and feelings.

No one knows you like God does, from the very beginning of your life. He knows your personality, what makes you laugh and what your interests are. He knows the people in your family. He knows who you love and who loves you.

God walks with you every day of your life and He wants you to see that He’s there. God truly is always with you, and He wants you to know Him. Start talking to Him today, acknowledge Him, and start getting to know the One who knows you completely.

In Proverbs Chapter 4, verse 25 it says:  Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. [NIV Bible]

The past may hold painful memories and loss. We may feel guilt and regret about the past. Or maybe we recognize missed opportunities and foolish missteps. We can often only see truths about the past years later.

I hurt people when I was younger in ways I was blind to for a long time. I’ve felt shame and guilt about my past behavior. Seeing the pain I caused in hindsight pierces me. It is a process, but I do know this–these are things I have to bring to God. I can’t go back in time and change what I did or didn’t do. But my mistakes help to open my eyes to what I’m doing now. I don’t want to learn the hard way. I want to help people and not hurt them. I want to be sensitive and aware in the here and now. I don’t want to regret today tomorrow.

God doesn’t demand perfection from us, and He understands how hard it can be for us to see how what we do or don’t do affects other people. This life is full of details that can be difficult to see clearly. Making mistakes doesn’t mean we don’t have good intentions, and God knows what’s in our hearts.

God gives us wisdom that comes from Him, not us. We don’t have to be able to anticipate everything or know it all because He does and He can help guide our actions and help us make decisions.

When we study the Bible, pray and listen for God’s voice, we connect ourselves to God and the direction that only He can give us. God can help us understand what to do (or not do).

Fear of the future is so embedded in our lives that it’s practically a default position. There is always plenty to worry about, and a lot of it never comes to pass. I’ve worried many times about scenarios that never played out. Fear about what might happen has held me hostage many times.

Every time I have been relieved of my worries (before I knew what was going to happen), it has been by God’s own hand. The Holy Spirit has counselled me to trust God and have faith that He will help me. He wants us to pray believing that He will help us. He wants us to trust Him to make a way for us.

So when we “let our eyes look straight ahead,” we acknowledge that God can be trusted with the unknowns of the future. And when we “fix our gaze directly before us,” we aren’t shackled to the past, reliving our mistakes.

You can tell the truth when you pray because God already knows everything. Being able to be completely honest is a feeling of freedom unlike any other. Being completely honest with other people is difficult for a variety of reasons. We may fear hurting them. We may be afraid they will reject us. We may want to be honest but still end up embellishing or exaggerating.

Psalm 51, verse 6 speaks about how deeply God knows us:

Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.  [NIV Bible]

When we know what we do isn’t hidden from God, we don’t have to “put on a face” when we talk to God–and that’s the way He wants it! He wants us to unload our burdens and trust in His unconditional love for us. Bring everything you are to God and experience the liberating power of honesty!

There are many situations that are out of our control. We may have a serious illness or an addiction. Friends may suffer through adultery, abuse or divorce. Our children may have psychiatric illnesses. Family members may be impulsive and reckless.

We live with uncertainty and unfairness. We can’t predict the future. We can’t anticipate everything that will go wrong and we can’t fix everything that does.

What can we do when it’s out of our hands? We can take action by praying. Prayer is a spiritual action that can and does affect our natural lives. Prayer relieves helplessness and gives hope.

There is no better help than the help God gives. Praying for other people is taking action. In Galatians Chapter 6, verse 2, it is written:  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. [NIV Bible] Helping other people isn’t limited to what we’re able to do for them. We can pray for them as well, not as a last resort, but as soon as we know their needs.

God has the power to do the undoable. He can change people’s hearts and minds. He can help them recognize when they’re hurting themselves. He can comfort them and give them strength to endure tough situations. He can forgive them and give them the fresh start they need.

Pray for your family, your friends and your neighbors. Pray for people you don’t know–you don’t have to know their names, God knows who they are! 🙂 As you pray for other people, you will begin to feel the peace of knowing that you are doing something to help them.

Understanding that God loves you is an important part of becoming a Christian. If you believe that God is mad at you for your faults or weaknesses (we all have them! 🙂 ), it can inhibit you from seeking God. But the truth is, God does love you as you are right now. He is ready to come into your life. He doesn’t force anyone to believe in Him, but He welcomes everyone to believe in Him.

Isaiah Chapter 16, verse 5, it is written:

In love a throne will be established…    [God’s love is unmatched. No human being can love you like God does. He loves you completely and unconditionally. He stills sees the good in you even when you do wrong.]

in faithfulness a Man (Jesus) will sit on it…   [God is faithful. He does what He says He will do. He won’t withdraw His love from us. He won’t leave us to depend only on ourselves to get through trouble. Believe in Him, don’t waver! God will bring good from the bad things that happen in your life, and He will bless you, you can count on that!]

One from the house of David…    [King David, who wrote most of the Psalms, was the King of Israel and was in the lineage of Jesus.]

One Who in judging seeks justice…  [God is just. He understands all actions, motivations, thoughts and desires. Nothing is hidden from Him, so He is the only qualified judge of the people.]

and speeds the cause of righteousness…   [God is constantly moving to speed the cause of righteousness. He promotes righteousness by forgiving us and allowing us to get a fresh start; He has mercy on us, and that helps us to have mercy on others; When we believe in Him, He gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to propel us to help and serve other people.]

The throne of God was established in love from the very beginning. God wants you to know and believe that He loves you. God is not asking you to complete a list of self-improvement projects before He’ll start loving you. He loves the real you, as you are now. He sees the good in you, and He understands what you do and why you do it. This is what He asks–that you believe in Him as the One True God, that you believe that your sins are forgiven by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross, and that you ask Him for forgiveness for your sins and invite him into your life. Don’t put off starting to believe in God–He already loves you, and He is ready to receive you today!

Above Scripture is from the NIV Bible.

God sticks closer to you than anyone else. He is literally always there. King David wrote most of the Psalms, and he talks about God’s constant presence in Psalm 139, verses 7-10:  Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. [NIV Bible]

All  of the moments of your life, God is there. When you’re rolling into the MRI machine; when you’re walking into a job interview; when you’re sitting at a teacher’s conference; when you’re talking to a bill collector. All of the tough times, and all of the good times, too.

When we refer to “being there” for someone, we are talking about giving them support when they need us. God is our ultimate help because He is with us when no one else can be. People may encourage you before you go into surgery, but God is there when you close your eyes and when you open them, in the recovery room and in the hospital room.

We don’t have to send a text, leave a voice mail or shoot an email. We don’t have to wait for God to be “in”. God wants us to bring all of our feelings and our circumstances and our situations to Him. He has an interest in every part of our lives.

In your mind or out loud, talk to God. Tell Him anything and everything. Ask Him to help you, to give you strength, to give you calm. The door is always open with God. He’s always home and you’re always welcome!