Is the Lord With Me?
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
The verse above tells us that the Lord is always with us, if we are making disciples of all nations, which means that we are following the Spirit to be a light for Christ. Is the Lord with us if we are not obeying his commands? Was he with the Israelites when they disobeyed?
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39) Jesus knew he was going to carry our sins to the cross and he was fearful. But notice he said Yet not As I will, but as you will, and Jesus carried out the Father’s will. Since Jesus was obeying the Father’s will, he knew the Father would give him the strength to endure. When we obey the Lord’s will, we can be sure that he is with us, and he will guide us and give us his strength, courage, love, or whatever we need to endure.
What happens when we allow fear to justify doing our own will instead of God’s will? Will the Lord be with us? The Lord is with us if we are doing our best to follow his will, but if we continue to rebel against his will, he will not be with us. Let’s look at what happened to king Saul when he disobeyed God. Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments” (1 Samuel 15:10-11) Saul was told by God to completely destroy the sinful Amalek, but Saul brought back the king and the best sheep and cattle. The reason Saul did this was to show his victory over Amalek and win the approval of the Israelite crowd when returning home. After Saul had won the battle he set up a monument to honor himself. Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself. (1 Samuel 15:11) Saul disobeyed God because of pride; he was more interested in feeding his pride by praise from the people than he was in obeying and glorifying God.
He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. (1 Samuel 28:6) The Lord was no longer with Saul because he was prideful and disobedient. The Lord was with King David, because David always went to the Lord before battle and gave God the glory after the victory; David never lost a battle.
God opposes the proud but shows grace to the humble. (James 4:6) God is with us when we trust him and obey his will, and he opposes us when we justify our own disobedience. We usually justify our way due to fear, pride, or inconvenience.
Today know that the Lord is with you, because he is always with those who seek to obey his Word. Obeying God’s Word is to live in his love and to reap life to the full. The Lord is interested in being with you through every detail of your life, guiding you, giving you his strength, wisdom and love, and protecting your soul from the evil one. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
Let’s Pray: Help me to obey your will and to know you are with me. Fill my mind and heart with your love, knowing the blessings of your presence with me. Help me to know the power, strength, wisdom, and love, that comes from Christ living in me. Help me to realize your power in me when I am weak. In Jesus name, Amen