Dearly beloved in Christ,
I greet you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord who has promised to go before you would also be with you and support you. He will never forsake you.
When the Lord is with you, you will be blessed in so many ways.
A) You Will Lack Nothing “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” Deut. 2:7
The Lord God was with the Israelites for 40 years. As He was with them, they enjoyed so many blessings. They had no lack. The Lord gives us a life of no want. He is with us “always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). As He was with the Israelites, they lacked nothing. Even the dress they wore did not wear out. The dress that we wear today lasts only for a time and then becomes old. We do not know how many items of dress they had with them. But the Bible tells that they did not become old. Their feet did not swell or ache. They were hale and healthy. If the Lord is with us, then we would have good health and strength. They were fed with manna and they did not lack food. It was a life of no worry. So He took care of them in every way. He would give us the same life when He is with us.
“But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome one. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.” Jeremiah 20:11
The Lord transforms us into mighty persons with His Spirit. Prophet Micah mentions, “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of justice and might. . .” (Micah 3:8). In Joshua 17:17 it is written, “. . . . You are a great people and have great power. . . .” The Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:12). He could conquer his enemies easily. When the Lord is with us, we do become men of valour. Those who come against us will be undone and put to shame. Thus the Lord is with us and blesses us and exalts us in the midst of enemies. C) You Are Exalted “And the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” Joshua 3:7 The Lord has assured that He “will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath”. Not only that, He will exalt you also. Today you may be belittled and ignored. You may be in a joint family where your husband’s family may be insulting you. You may be suffering without good clothing or food. You may be shedding tears as to when all these things would end O child of God, when the Lord comes with you, you will be exalted before all those who see you. This does not happen to you by your merit or by what you do. This would come to you by the presence of the grace of God. Before worldly people you may be derided and degraded, and may be living with discontent and needs. The One who knows you is with you. He will work wonders. He who is in you is greater than the one in this world. He will exalt you in all situations and places.
A) Be Without Greediness
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
The greed for wealth is the root cause of all evil. It causes great disaster in the lives of people. We know that those who love this world yield themselves to different lusts and lose their exaltation. Samson was a chosen vessel of God and he did daring acts with the strength of the Holy Spirit. He should have remained a Nazarite without cutting his hair all through his life. But he strayed from the path the Lord God had set for him. He went to harlots and lost his saintly life and therefore the Lord left him. Today for the Lord to remain with us we should make ourselves worthy.
B) Build the Church
“And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God — my God — will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.” 1 Chron. 28:20
The Lord gave Solomon an exalted task to do. David wanted to build a temple for the Lord God. But the Lord did not allow him to do that and told him that his son would do that. David told his son that the Lord would be with him till he completed the job of building the temple. As he said, the Lord was with Solomon and filled him with wisdom and wealth needed for the job.
C) Enabled Joshua to lead the Israelites
“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” Joshua 1:5,6
Joshua knew that the redeemed Israelites were stiff necked people. But he was chosen by God to lead the Israelites after Moses. Confronted with a tough situation, Joshua was comforted by the word of God through Moses. As He promised him, He was with Joshua and did not forsake him. He helped him in the act of leading those people. He apportioned the land of Canaan among the different tribes of Israel. As the Lord was with him, he did it in a wonderful way.
A) Those Who Seek Him
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:10
The One who assured that He would be with us will go before us and will not forsake us. In this world we find families, parents and children in a forbidden state. But the Lord who is with us will not forsake us but comfort us. If we begin to seek Him with a whole heart, He will lead us in a wonderful way. As we do not seek Him with a whole-heart, we undergo several trials and tribulations. When we seek Him, we would be doing everything according to His word. By doing so, we would have true peace, joy and fellowship. When we do not seek Him, we give room for divisions and struggles without knowing His love. The Lord is near to those who seek Him truly. Let us seek him with a wholeheart and be not forsaken.
B) Those Who Pray
“The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.” Isaiah 41:17
Today we are depressed being challenged by problems and inadequacies that we face. Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday and today would listen to prayers and will not forsake us. He would do wonders. Once while we were travelling in a country where we did not know their language, there came a gang of youngsters determined to rob us of our watches and belongings. The brothers who came with me were praising the Lord hearing their threats. I was praying for mercy. The Lord worked a miracle. All of them were thrown backwards. They did not get up till we reached our vehicle. He hears the prayers we make in our times of difficulty and acts without forsaking us.
C) Those Who Are Holy
“For the LORD loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.” Psalm 37:28
It is the desire and will of the Lord that we should be holy. Without holiness, we are not able to achieve what we should. The Lord who loves His saints protects His saints as the apple of the eye and blesses them by being with them. When we make ourselves holy, we become acceptable to the Lord. The Lord is able to make use of us. Thus the Lord goes before us, remains with us and blesses us without being forsaken.
“The one who breaks open will come up before them; they will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it; their king will pass before them, with the LORD at their head.” Micah 2:13
Confronted by difficulties and problems, we very often get discouraged and leave things undone. As a result, there would be great loss and disenchantment. A teacher made all efforts to build a house. He sought plan approval. But after laying the foundation, there came an obstacle. The electric power cables were passing over that plot. So the Electricity Board obtained stay from the court. The stay could not be vacated till his end. It has not so far been carried out. Thus in various activities like beginning a business, industry, or shop, and arranging a marriage, there may be obstacles. In 1 Thessalonians 2:18 Paul says, “Therefore we wanted to come to you — even I, Paul, time and again — but Satan hindered us.” When children were brought to Jesus Christ to be blessed, His own disciples tried to prevent them. ‘But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”’ Thus there are many who prevent people from coming to Jesus. Their theology and principles are contrary to truth. There are others who are like the Pharisees who would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven themselves nor would they allow anyone else. “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” (Luke 11:52). At certain times, the Holy Spirit Himself hinders us. It is written about Paul and Silas: “After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.” (Acts 16:7). Thus we are confronted with hindrances and obstacles in life. But we should endeavour to keep the Lord always before us so that He removes them. Dear Brother/ Sister, today you may have been discouraged by the obstacles you have come across. Always keep the Lord before you. He will lead you in a wonderful way by removing the obstacles and blessing you. You may be experiencing delay in the matter of your marriage or job or visa or child-bearing. He will create a way and bless you with happiness and exaltation.
“I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron.” Isaiah 45:2
We live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, as written in Philippians 2:15. Many turn their ways crooked. There are those “who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight, who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity.” (Micah 3:9, 10). “The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace.” (Isaiah 59:8). But our Lord goes before us and makes straight crooked things. David shares his experience glorifying the Lord: “For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? – the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights” (Psalm 18:31-33). The Lord knows the crooked things in our lives. When you commit your way to the Lord, He will lead in the right way. In Psalm 107:7, the Bible says, “And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for a dwelling place.” The Lord leads us on a daily basis. When He leads us, there would be abundant peace and joy. The Spirit of the Lord led Paul and Silas. Paul was not allowed to go into Bithynia by the Spirit of Jesus. But in a vision he saw a man from Macedonia making a call for help. So they went to Philippi where they preached to a few women who gathered at the riverside. The Lord opened the heart of Lydia. She took baptism along with her household (Acts 16:6-15). They stayed in their house and glorified the Lord. Thus the Lord led and provided for them in a wonderful way. In Isaiah 42:16, the Lord says: “I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.” In our life the word of the Lord teaches us: “Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.” (Proverbs 4:10, 11). Let the Lord lead us making straight the crooked paths.
“A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about.” Psalm 97:3
The Bible tells us, “For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). This fire was created in heaven to destroy the works of the devil, when the angels turned to devils: “You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you.” (Ezekiel 28:18). Jesus Christ brought this fire to earth. He said: “”I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). It is a protective wall around us. “For I,’ says the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” (Zachariah 2:5). It also purifies us: “When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning” (Isaiah 4:4). This is the fire that “goes before Him, And burns up His enemies round about” (Psalm 97:3). Wicked people indulge in witchcraft to bring about the destruction of their enemies who are innocent. This fire operates in heavenly realms to destroy the works of the devil, seen and unseen. This fire which is the power of the Lord burns up the works of the enemy.
“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:28
The Lord is the Good Shepherd who goes before us. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Shepherd, He leads and guides us in good paths and helps us overcome all obstacles in our way. He thus provides and protects us and gives us eternal life. None can snatch us from His protective hands. Let us accept Jesus Christ as our good Shepherd and commit ourselves to go after Him. Then we will certainly enjoy a blessed life.
May the Lord bless us!
In the service of Christ Jesus,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.