The Lord Is for Me

The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear.
     What can mere people do to me?

Psalm
118 was written in the context of hostility. The unnamed psalm writer
was facing threats from his enemies, who hated him and sought to kill
him. But the Lord rescued and protected him (118:6-13).

Yet in
the midst of his struggle, when the outcome wasn’t clear from a human
perspective, the psalmist prayed to the Lord and found reassurance. He
began to look at his situation from a divine perspective: “The LORD is
for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
(118:6). Though he faced danger and even the threat of death, the
psalmist was comforted and emboldened by a simple truth: “The Lord is
for me.”

These five words translate only two in Hebrew: yhwh li.
So few and such simple words encapsulate some of the most profound and
powerful truths of life: God is for me. God is on my side. God wants
the best for me. God will never let me down. God will help me. Yhwh li . . . God is for me!

How
I wish I believed this more consistently! I think of times in my life
when I felt besieged and criticized. Or I remember other times when
fear gripped my heart and wouldn’t let go. If only this truth could
have penetrated and permeated my soul: God is for me. God is for me. God is for me. God is for me. Yes, he is!

And
God is for you too. He is there when you need him most. He is there
when you can sense his presence. And he is there even when he seems
very far away. Here is a truth upon which you can base your life: God
is for you!

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When
have you sensed God’s presence in a powerful way? What are you facing
today for which you need the reassurance of God’s presence? How would
you live differently if you truly believed that God is for you?

PRAYER: 
O Lord, thank you for being for me. Thank you for being there when I
need you. Thank you for wanting the very best for me. Thank you for
encouraging me when I feel down. Thank you for strengthening me when I
am weak. Thank you for being there, even when others let me down. Thank
you, dear Lord, for being for me.

May I live today as if this
were true. May I trust you, rely upon you, seek you, and serve you.
Even as you are for me today, may I be for you!

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This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org), a wonderful website about work and God. You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.