God with Us: Part 5

In this five-part series, we traced the theme of God with us from the first book of the Bible to the last, from God walking in the Garden of Eden to God making his home with us on earth.

Now let’s briefly explore how this theme should make a difference in our lives, beginning with how it should not impact us.

• It should not make us proud of ourselves. Perhaps some might think, “If God wants to be with us, we must be something special.” The Adam-and-Eve story shows that God continued to pursue us even when we walked away from him. God did not give up on the human race. And the good news of Christ is that “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Despite all of our faults, God loves us. And despite the fact that everyone has turned away from God, “he is not far from anyone of us” (Acts 17:27). God is with us not because we are great. God is with us because God is love.

• It should not lead us to think that we will only have success. God was with Joseph, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Paul and every single one of them suffered intensely. Joseph was sold as a slave and ended up in prison; Moses wandered in the wilderness for forty years with thousands of complaining people; David ran for his life for about ten years; Jeremiah was thrown into the muddy cistern, and Paul was whipped, stoned, and beaten. God is with us, but if something bad happens to us, that doesn’t mean God has left us. We have the promise of God’s presence, but we also have the promise of trouble. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). Don’t allow the presence of trouble to cause you to doubt the presence of God. Trouble is coming, but God will be with us. As God promises in Psalm 91, “I will be with him in trouble” (v. 15). When King Nebuchadnezzar saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the blazing fire, he saw someone else with them, and they were all unharmed (Daniel 3). God enters into trouble with us.

• It should not lead us to think that how we live doesn’t matter. Some may think “God is with us no matter what, so what we do doesn’t matter.” But the New Testament contains many warnings about how we live. For example, after listing the acts of the flesh, Paul writes, “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21).

The theme of God with us should impact us in the following ways.

• It should make us want to be with God. When we realize how much God wants to be with us, it should make us want to reciprocate that desire. Paul writes, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).

• It should give us courage to do hard things and to endure hardship. David said, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4). God’s presence should give us confidence to face difficult circumstances. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2).

• It should give us contentment with what we have. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). We have God’s presence, what are we running after?

• It should cause us to rejoice. I can’t think of a more fitting conclusion to this series than the words of John Wesley. On his deathbed, Wesley fervently spoke his last words repeating the same thing twice.

“The best of all is God is with us. The best of all is God is with us.”

*This reflection is a part of The Heart of Scripture: God with Us.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.