God Is With You

Genesis 21:22 NKJV
God is with you in all that you do.

If we truly consider the above statement to be as true for us as it was for Abraham, then I believe our day to day activities would radically change. It's a sobering thought. He is with us in all that we do; from the lowest common denominator of just sitting/standing and breathing to the most incredible grief that any of us can bare. Is He just standing idly by, watching us, twiddling His thumbs, wishing He was somewhere else? Is His presence marked by observation and curiosity? Or is He an active, vibrant, engaging God? Does He watch over us as a true "Father'? Do we feel that without His presence there would be no breath to even speak of or grief to even lament over?
Personally, I can only believe that He is with us at all times. He has provided not only Himself but also His Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well. The Trinity can not and will not ever be seperated. His words and my experience dictate that He is constantly engaged in a Christian's life. His love is what sustains me and without it I would not exist. Furthermore, I must consider His presence in the bad as well as the good. When I sin, He is there! I must not forget that. He's not just there when I'm doing well or living righteously. Praise God that He sees the bigger picture of our lives; that He sees us as a whole, not just at those "micro moments" when we've turned away from Him or even have done an instant and short-lived "good". God is with us in all that we do...so we must do our all for Him. - JSS

Healing Faith

Matthew 14: 35-36 NIV

People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

If only we would/could get sick and hurting people to Jesus, to touch Him, to get close enough to Him, then they would be healed. Jesus rewards faith and our willingness to help others encounter Him, receive Him unto themselves. Jesus honors the faith of others. - JSS

2 Corinthians 8:12 NIV
For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

Whatever We Ask

In John 14:12-14 and 15:7 and 15:16, Jesus said that whatever we ask in Jesus' name it will be given to us. Of course, this puzzles me because not all prayers asked in Jesus' name are given to us. The truth may lay in this: If our heart is fixed to/on bringing about God's Kingdom and fulfilling His will in obedience then our prayers will be oriented to reflect this. Thereby, our Heavenly Father will honor our prayers and allow them to come to fruition. Our prayers, if this be true, must contain less selfish pleas, bullying through God's promises, and half-hearted attempts to be sanctimonious. We must be so in tune with the Father so as to understand His intentions within our lives so that when we pray we are merely an unhindered vessel or clear channel/conduit to bring His salvation to the world. Jesus was/is one with his Father and was in full obedience to Him and so we must be also. - JSS