Tag Archives: Deuteronomy 31:8

Who has your back?

 

 

When you are in a dark and dangerous place, fear and anxiety set in. You need to know that you will be protected. You start remembering God’s truths:

 

He is always with me. Matthew 28:20

 

He goes before me. Deuteronomy 31:8

 

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. Psalm 118:6

 

But does He really have my back? I mean, when life gets tough, I need to know! In fact, God does have your back:

 

Isaiah 52:12 “The Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”

 

Psalm 139:5  “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.”

 

Sometimes God protects our body, even though it is just a temporary shelter for us.  He ALWAYS stands guard to protect our mind and our heart, to keep us from evil. He provides protection from all directions.

 

“So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

 

 

The basis for confidence

We make hundreds of decisions every day, some small and some significant. All either affirm or deny our faith. When we go our own way without consulting God, we deny the need for faith and convince ourselves we know best. Certainly, a life of faith builds character that is able to make good decisions. But we never outgrow our need for God’s direction in our lives, do we? We turn to Him for both simple and complex matters. Our confidence in His faithfulness, His goodness, His perfection and grace is our confidence in life. Without it, what confidence do we have?

I remember ‘rediscovering’ Joshua 3:4 years ago when pondering which direction I should take in my life. “Then you will know the way you should go because you have not been this way before.” God doesn’t expect us to have all the answers. How could we for there are so many circumstances we have never before experienced, so many new paths we have not yet traversed. When I was first in remission from cancer, I was immediately faced with the decision of whether or not to get a stem cell transplant which involved a more aggressive chemo, more pain, and more risk, but also more ‘assurance’ that the cancer would not return. There was no way I could make a conclusive analysis of matter. Would this procedure extend my life or take it sooner? After weighing the pros and cons, it was simply a matter to bring to God. I needed someone who had been down this path before.

“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

What doubts and fears are you facing that make it difficult to choose a godly path? “The Lord who goes before you” delights in revealing the best path for you. Ask Him to lead you in big and small ways. Your confidence is not misplaced in Him.