YA: With
Relationships are an important thing to God.
But often we stand in a room surrounded by people and wonder if anyone notices we are there. We have relationships that disappoint us; people who fail to show up for us in situations we needed them the most.
What do we do with that?!
We can cognitively know that God is with us - know it in our minds, be able to proclaim it, recite it back, tell someone else about it even, but that doesn’t always convince our hearts.
It’s important to understand that we are whole people. Our brains communicate a million miles a minute with the rest of us. Our brains also rely on all our experiences in life to inform us of what is safe, who is safe, and what and who isn’t safe or worthy of our trust.
Because of this, our relationships that may have very little to do with God will inform our vantage point of God. If someone lets us down and fails to show up in various ways - whether with words or their physical or emotional presence - we can begin to attribute these same disappointing qualities to God.
God’s Word to the rescue! ;) It helps to take a minute in life, every once in a while, weekly, or daily, to sort everything out. We gather with people and share about who or what is disappointing us and when we open the Word we learn that where people disappoint, God always follows through. As we place our feet firmly on the soil of the Word and hear from God over and over again, we can see that God is very different from the people around us.
He is perfect.
His Love never fails.
He is unchanging.
He makes plans with us in mind.
He never goes back on His Word.
He is a With-Us God.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. - Psalm 46:7
This small refrain on repeat in Psalm 46 stands as a reminder that God is always with us.
What is God with you in today? Where is He going with you? Where does He stand with you when you feel alone?
Check out today’s podcast for a few steady reminders from Scripture of our With-Us God and an activity to return to that chorus over and over again.