“I will fear no evil… for you are with me”. This is where David stops telling us about God… and starts talking to God!
When a kid has a nightmare… he wants to BE WITH his mom and dad…
Jesus often withdrew to a quiet place! Why…?
We have lost the art of silence and solitude…
Both God in the OT and Jesus in the NT assure us that one thing we can always count on… God will be and IS with us! And He’s with us because He’s FOR us!
Deuteronomy 4:7 NLT - “For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him?”
Jesus’ most common invitation was “Follow Me”. Come… Learn from me… be with Me… The Christian faith is 1st and foremost, is an invitation to be with Jesus!
The first-century Jews had a blessing that beautifully expresses the commitment of a disciple to stay in the presence of the one he followed: “May you always be covered by the dust of your rabbi.” That is, “May you follow him so closely that the dust his feet kicks up is what cakes your clothing and lines your face.”
** The ancient Talmud actually has a story about a disciple who snuck under his rabbi’s bed so that he would be present when the rabbi and his wife went to bed with each other. He was discovered, and the rabbi wanted to know what his prize pupil was doing... His response was a classic: “This too is Torah, and I need to learn!”
John Ortberg – What mattered was not so much the particular activity they were doing. What mattered was being with their rabbi whatever was going on. Every activity was an opportunity to learn from the rabbi how to be like the rabbi. I can be “sitting at Jesus feet” when I’m kneeling in prayer or negotiating a contract or fixing my kids lunch or watching a movie. All it requires is my asking him to be my teacher and companion in this moment.
You may be facing death, but you aren’t facing death alone; the Lord is with you. You may be facing unemployment, but you aren’t facing unemployment alone; the Lord is with you. You may be facing marital struggles, but you aren’t facing them alone; the Lord is with you. You may be facing debt,but you aren’t facing debt alone; the Lord is with you.
Say it out loud... I am not alone!
Your family my turn against you, but God won’t. Your friends may betray you, but God won’t. You may feel alone in the wilderness, but you are not. He is with you.
