It is so important to renew our minds to the great truth that God is with us. There is not a moment that passes by that we are without His presence. Not only must we know His presence, but we must pay attention or be attentive to it—to spend time with God. This is important for us to put into serious practice, especially now, because we are transitioning into a different kind of season. As this season comes, God is preparing us to be anchored in His love in a greater way. And as it is with every new season, new blessings will unfold, change will come, and turmoil is also a part of the equation. Ephesians 4:13-14 tells us that God’s Will is for us to measure up to the full and complete standard of Christ, so that we’re no longer immature like children. He doesn’t want us to be tossed and blown about with every wind of new teaching. He wants us to be rock solid in Christ. Therefore, we must know that as turmoil and chaos unfold, the work of the Holy Spirit is to help us be anchored in Christ like never before.
Not business as usual Many of us are not fans of newness because of the element of change it brings. We like the familiar. We’re comfortable with it, but change will inevitably force us to breach the walls of our comfort zones. Our faith is stretched beyond the limits we anticipated, and we must lean on God wholeheartedly to see us through. This is also the place where God performs a mighty work in our circumstances, but it’s not going to be business as usual, because He’s going to do something that’s unexpected. We think we’ll go on being the same person and doing the same things we’ve always done, but in this different season, it is likely our lives will take a direction we could not have imagined. We must be careful not to greet this begrudgingly or with hesitation, but we must have the attitude of Mary, mother of Jesus, when she received the news from Gabriel, the angel, that a season like no other was about to begin.
Luke 1:30-35(NLT) tells us, ““Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”” Mary’s emotional and mental makeup was no different than any other human being. She heard the prophecy about the Messiah, but it is not too much of a stretch to imagine that she never suspected she would give birth to him. But even in her awe of hearing the news, Mary’s trust in God was apparent. What was her response to the angel? Luke 1:38(NLT) tells us she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Mary was initially confused and perplexed about what Gabriel said, but he offered her encouragement and comfort. He told her that she was a favored woman and that the Lord was with her.
In Matthew 1:23, an angel appeared to her husband, Joseph, and said, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” This was not business as usual, but God was sending His Son to the earth to reconcile us back to Him, so that we would have faith and confidence that God is with us, and He’ll never leave or forsake us; for we are His people.
It ain’t always easy Our precious Lord and Savior is a King, yet there was no royal robes or jewels for him to wear, no celebrations or fanfare surrounding his birth. He chose a humble beginning because humility is his trademark. As wonderful as the proclamation was to Mary and as privileged as she was to be the mother of Jesus, things were not always easy. Not long after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and his new family had to flee to Egypt, because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. No, life was not easy, but God promised to be with them, and He never breaks His promises.
Genesis 17:1-8(NLT) tells us, “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them! “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.” Our Heavenly Father made a covenant with Abraham, and you and I are byproducts of it.
It wasn’t easy for Abraham. He had been very comfortable living among his father and other family members. But Abraham had to leave his home to pursue God’s promise, and he did it because he knew God would be faithful to fulfill all that He had promised. Abraham knew that God would be with Him.
In this season, many of us will have to leave the familiar and comfortable to fulfill God’s purpose. Some of us may have to change some things, cut off some relationships, and completely release some old and bad habits. There may be challenges ahead that we could never have imagined, but we must not lose faith. We must trust God with our whole hearts. Yes, there are times when things are rosy and everything feels good, but Jesus Christ told us there would also be tribulations in life. He didn’t tell us so that we would cower in fear somewhere in a corner. He told us so we would wait on the Lord and take confidence in His mighty strength. He told us so that we would stand faithful as we, ourselves, are strengthened in God through Christ. Heavenly Father will be with us in this season and every other season, and He will take us from victory to victory as we remain obedient to His Word and faithful to trust Him with our whole hearts. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“God Is with Us!”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life© 2019. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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