God Beside Us (Day #1 of “Five Psalms”)

23 Aug God Beside Us (Day #1 of “Five Psalms”)

Read  Psalm 1
Thought for the Day: “When we follow God, He is right there beside us!”

The Book of Psalms has traditionally been divided into five smaller “books”. The first (from Chapter 1 – 41) shows us that God does not abandon us. Instead, He is the God Beside Us, an ever-present source of help.

Consider the very first chapter, which describes anyone who chooses to follow God rather than the world: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” The Psalmist reminds us that God is not only with us, but also ever-presently gives us the ability to grow. When we follow Him, God provides both energy and strength that we could never find anywhere else!

It is easy to forget that everything but God will ultimately let us down. Going through our lives, there are countless times when we can fool ourselves into believing that finances, a promotion, or popularity will sustain us. Ultimately, all of these things are fickle and temporary. Finances are spent. Promotions and careers ultimately end. Popularity comes and goes. The temporal things of this world may seem enticing at the time, but will quickly fade. Only following God, the God Beside Us, will ever bring us lasting happiness and peace.

Where are we placing our trust today? Are we living as trees next to a river, absorbing its nutrients and experiencing growth? Or, do we find ourselves slowly withering by trusting something other than God? Today is a great day to realize that He is the God Beside Us and the only true source of strength, happiness, and peace!

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David