The Spiritual Journey 2024 - Day 33: Live mindful of His Presence.

“I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭116‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The Lord had already promised Abraham that He would give him a child of promise. Indeed, he would have a son through whom he would have descendants as many as the stars in the sky.

But, a lot of time passed; and we know that because of Sarah‘s insistence, Abraham went in to Hagar, and she conceived Ishmael.

However, the Lord had said that the child of promise would come from Sarah.

So, after the Ishmael incident, the Lord again appeared to Abraham, restating His covenant and instructing him concerning how he should live going forward.

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.””

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Yes, the Lord instructed that Abraham should walk before Him and be blameless.

You see, “to walk before the Lord,” means to be constantly aware and reverential of the Lord’s presence. In fact, this aptly describes walking in the “fear of the Lord.”

This living and moving and having our being in the fear of the Lord (always aware and reverential of His presence), is what the proverbial writer meant by, “In all your ways acknowledge Him.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.“

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This “acknowledgement” of the Lord is not just the knowledge that He exists. It is walking in His ways of being and doing (righteousness).

“But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?“

‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In our portion of Psalm 116 for today we see that the psalmist, after having acknowledged that the Lord had given him complete deliverance from death, grief, and trouble, turns to affirm that he will now live in reverential fear of the Lord.

Child of God, many people who seek God‘s help when they are in trouble, do not then turn to living in the fear of the Lord.

But make no mistake, the Lord does not deliver us so that we can go our own way. He delivers us to walk before Him, to let our light shine before a lost and dying world. Yes, He delivers us that we might bring glory and honor to His name!

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.“

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

”Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Friend, even when we aren’t in a desperate situation, let’s be sure to walk before the Lord!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#thespiritualjourney2024