God is WHAT?

"Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you.  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." — Isaiah 41:10, ESV

God is with me? This morning the thought of this truth overwhelmed me a bit.  The God of the universe is WITH ME.  What am I supposed to do with that? FEAR NOT! This is the first thing that God reminds us of when we face the tough stuff in life.  He points us to the fact that he, the God and ruler of all things, who measures the universe with the span of his hand, is with us.  This should bring a peace that truly does surpass all understanding (Philippians 4:6,7).

And not only is God with me, but he is MY GOD.  There is a relationship that I have with God that should impact my life.  He is not this God out there somewhere doing something for someone.  Rather, he is MY God who is with ME and is helping ME.  And as I write "ME" and "MY" so often, I feel like I'm being selfish, like I am hoarding him to myself.  However, he is the one who says that he is with me.  It is his pleasure to be there with me.

And then notice what he does:  1).  He strengthens me. He gives me the strength that I need to get me through what I face.  This means that God understands that I will become weak.  He knows that I will get drained and overwhelmed.  So he strengthens.

2).  He also helps me. He gives me strength, but then he continues to help me with what I'm facing.  I picture it like a mentor craftsman giving his students the tools necessary for the job, but then he stays right there with him as he works through the process.

3).  He holds me up. There are times when collapsing isn't an option but a reality.  During those times, the only reason that we continue on and move forward is because it is God who holds us up by the hand.  So often we take the credit for it but God knows the truth.

May this bless you today as it blessed me.  May God be so real to you today that you are completely transformed and your perspective is forever changed because of the fact that God is with you.