Week 23 - June 2-8, 2024: God is With Us!
This week’s daily readings:
June 2-8, 2024
This week’s devotional:
God is With Us!
by Sue Hersey
Scripture:
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way
the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?
— Deuteronomy 4:7 (NIV)
Reflection:
June is typically such a lovely time of year here in New England with longer days, warmer weather, and gardens coming into full bloom. If you get the chance on a beautiful June day to just spend time with nature walking through a garden, you may find that you’re soon not alone anymore! This brings a song to mind – maybe you know it? It’s an old hymn called “In the Garden,” and this is the refrain:
And He walks with me and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known!
It’s a spectacular word picture of spending time with God and the joy that brings. This is what life was like for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before sin took it all away. Wouldn’t it be great to spend time that way?
What made the nation of Israel great was the fact that God was with them, and the same goes for us, God’s chosen people. The question is this: how can we invite God to be with us on our walk? In this Old Testament verse from this week’s readings, it says that “the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him.” So, it’s that simple: pray and he will come! Our God wants to be wanted.
Just like the Bible promises us in James 4:8, “Come near to God and he will come
near to you.” When we make time to pray, God shows up!
Besides praying for God to be with us, we Christians have invited God’s Holy Spirit to come dwell within us the moment we put our faith in Jesus. The reason Jesus came to earth was so that he could experience living a human life here among us. He was called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). When he ascended to heaven, Jesus promised “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). And in Revelation 21:3 (another verse from this week’s Bible readings) it says, “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.” Nothing can possibly separate us from God and his love for us in Christ and there is nothing like knowing God and spending time walking with him; it should be our reason for living and our hope for eternity!
Prayer:
Almighty God, you are invisible, and yet I am assured you are with me because I have faith in you and the promises of your Word. I believe in your Son, Jesus Christ, and how he died for my sins, and so it’s thrilling to know your Spirit lives within me! I pray to you now in the name of Jesus, asking you to walk alongside me, talk to me, and let me know your amazing love and forgiveness. Thank you for these gifts. Amen