Your God is With You Always : Bro.Koil Pitchai

“For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.” – Deu.2:7.

God had been with the children of Israel in the great wilderness journey for 40 long years.  He led them, fed them, preserved them and blessed them.  We too are in a journey through wilderness, looking to our promised land.  We are walking by faith and not by sight.  We have faith in our God who called us will be with us.  This way is new for us.  We knew not this way and do not know how to go through it also.  God only opened this way for His people (Heb.10:19,20).  So, in order to reach our destination without err in our paths, our God should be with us.  In order to God with us in all through our journey, there are various aspects.

In order to walk with God, we should be united with Him.  Enoch walked with God.  Prophet Amos writes, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos.3:3).  To the extent we have the fellowship with God, that extent our life will be blessed.  Unity speaks the “same mind”.  What type of mind we should have?  Here the prophet speaks about “Two” relates to we and Christ.  When two men unite and go both will accept the advice of the other one and go forward but in our spiritual journey Christ only knows the way and He only know how to journey through.  Therefore, we should completely surrender our mind and heart to Christ and follow Him.  St. Paul says, we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor.2:16).  This path is a holy path and only those who have faith in Christ can travel through.  In Isaiah 57:17 God says, “he went on frowardly in the way of his heart”.  Our mind should be one with God and should not expect that God’s mind should be united with your mind.  We should serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear (Heb.12:28).  If you have a willing heart, then give to God.  David says, I walked before God uprightly (Psa.56:13).  When we say oneness of mind, let us consider how the mind is prepared and have fellowship with God.  All those who desire to do His will, should have His mind (Jn.7:17).  Those who have a willing heart are united with God.  We should have a firm determination to be united with God and live in this wilderness journey.  God knows our path, but whether we are united with God and walk or goes as our heart desire?  St. Peter says, “gird up the loins of your mind” (I Pet.1:13).  Those whose heart is united with God, their mind gets renewed daily by the working of the Holy Spirit (Rom.12:1). 

Be prepared to walk wherever He leads - If we are walking with God having one mind, certain this are to be followed –

as the other person walk, we should walk

in all the paths he goes, we too must go

wherever he stay, we should stay there

whatever he eat, we also should eat

whatever people he meet, we should meet them

whatever people avoid, we should avoid them

This type of determination Ruth had while she decided to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth 1:116).  But Jonathan and David had one mind for some time but later on when David went to the wilderness, Jonathan returned to his palace and it was caused for his pathetic end (I Sam.18:1,3; 20:11,42).  God has kept a destiny for us and in order to reach there, we should walk in the way He goes.  144000 who are seen on the Mount Zion alongwith Lamb are “they which follow the Lamb withersoever he goeth” (Rev.14:4).

We should always depend upon the strength of God.  While walking with Christ, many obstacles, problems and afflictions we have to face continuously and for that we need apt strength.  We should run this race walking with Christ.  If God would like to be with you, we should wait upon Him and renew your strength very often as eagles (Isa.40:31).  It speaks our prayer life.  Such shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.  We should leave certain things and run.  Eagles sit upon high rocks and mountains watching around.  All of a sudden whirlwind comes but still it watches at the wind.  Finally the whirlwind comes against the eagle and as it comes near it makes a special sound and fly joining with the wind.  In our life all of a sudden such whirlwind like destruction, distress and anguish may come and as if it will take away from on this earth (Prov.1:27).  Love of God lifts us up where we belong far from the world we know up where the clear winds blow.  But don’t forget God’s ways are even in the whirlwind and grievous whirlwinds.  Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kgs.2:1,11).   Job says, whirlwind comes from south (Job 37:9).  God talked to Job out of whirlwind (Job 38:1).  Like that eagle we should fly up in the sky through such trials.  This mourning you might have discouraged and fainted because of the problems you are facing, but with a renewed heart, you fly up, because God is with you in that whirlwind.  Can you say, I and my God walk together in this wilderness path?  In whichever direction He turns, we too must turn with Him, otherwise we will miss the goal.

We should be willing to turn towards North.  God told the children of Israel through Moses, “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward” (Deu.2:3).  All those who turn and travel towards north receive God’s blessings.  Psalmist says, “Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south” (Psa.75:6).  Verse 7 says it is from God.  “the sides of the north is the city of the great King God (Psa.48:2).  This side of the north Lucifer desired (Isa.14:13).  This is our eternal habitation called New Jerusalem and Zion.  We are traveling towards this north.  Therefore, all those desire God to walk with should turn towards north.

For Christ’s sake we should become blind.  God to walk with you, you should become blind in His sight.  God says, I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not, I will lead them in paths that they have not known” (Isa.42:16).  The path in which we travels have not known to us and we knew not.  St. Paul says, we walk not by sight but by faith (2 Cor.5:7).  Those who walk by faith is blind.  If you desire to walk by sight you cannot walk with God.  One believer family saw a dream.  In that they saw, in a path many people gather certain black packets which are scattered on the road.  This sister also took one for her.  In that vision God asked her, why you have taken that black packet?  This is dropped by Satan.  Satan will scatter many burdens and cares (tares) which we should surrender upon Jesus and walk (Mat.11:29) and then we will have a perfect rest in us.

We should maintain a father-son-relationship : Abraham and Isaac walked together to offer sacrifice unto God.  On the way son asked, “we have everything, but where is the lamb?”, Abraham replied, “God will provide” (Gen.22:7,8).  Son blindly believed and followed his father joyfully.  Such people only can say, “who can separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom.8:31).  Let us meditate the great things He has done in our past life and rejoice in it.  God will never takes us halfway.    He is able to save us uttermost (Heb.7:25).  God has lead hitherto beautifully and He is able to lead us further.  God know the way and already walked before us.  We should cling unto God and follow.

We should hearken His voice.  If you want to walk with a person, we should hear his voice and obey it.  “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Heb.3:7,8).  His voice will exhort us, comfort us, and correct us.  We should be prepared to hear His voice.  At times His voice may be mild voice.  Our ears should practice hearing God’s voice.  His voice says from behind, “this is the way, walk in it”.  Those who are lead by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Rom.8:14).  His voice says, “Fear not, I am with you”.  Jesus said, my sheep will hear my voice (Jn.10:1-7).

Do not provoke Him to angry by your deeds.  In that wilderness they provoked God and many got perished in the wilderness.  If we walk with a person, we cannot provoke him.  All of a sudden hills, valley, river, wild animals, enemies, and sickness may come.  We do not know what will happen hereafter.  If we provoke the companion how we will expect apt help?  In all our deeds we should please God.  God please in our strong faith.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  May be all others will forsake you, but still you are not alone.  God is with you (Jn.16:32).  “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.  Blessed are all that put their trust in him” (Psa.2:12).

Keep an open heart with God.  When we walk together, there will be a perfect intimacy and understanding each other.  They will reveal their hearts each other.  They will converse about their problems and all secret matters.  God to walk with you, you must strive in prayer with God alone.  Jacob strived with God all through the night and received blessings.  Moses was alone on the mount with God.  When we do the will of God, we see alone with God.  Your life will be a peculiar for others.  God has called to do the will of God (2 Cor.1:; 2 Tim.1:1; Col.1:1).  About Israelites Prophet Balaam says, “Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations” (Nos.23:9).  In order to walk with you, God will create such loneliness in your life.

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15).  In order to walk with God you must have a firm trust in the other person that he will never mislead you.  “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is” (Jer.17:7).  They says, “O God, thou hast persuaded me, and I was persuaded” (Jer.20:7).  God says, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her” (Hosh.2:14).  This is how God persuade us and we are being persuaded.  When we look to His face, our faces get enlightened. 

Holding faith and keep good conscience and rest in God.  We are traveling through a sea in our faith-boat and in all the tempest and waves Christ is with us.  At His rebuke waves and sea get calm.  He will take us to the desired haven (Psa.107:30).  This is a path of sufferings.  As Christ suffered in his body, we too must suffer whether it is in our body or in our mind.  All our sufferings are going to be ceased.  Our trials are only for 10 days (Rev.2:10).  Very soon it will be over and we will reach our desired haven.  We should humble ourselves like Him to suffer for His sake (Phil.2:5-8).  We need such a mind in order to walk with God.  When suffer joyfully, He gives His grace to endure.   “Holding faith, and a good conscience, which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck” (I Tim.1:19).

It is the fact in the ancient days in Palestine even time comes all the shepherds gather at the foot of the mountain and sing songs and praise God saying, hitherto God has helped us, then they depart to their respective places.  In our life also, while we depart from this world, we should depart from here in this manner.  All the saints will gather around and praise God for all His wonders and go to our eternal abode.  That day is fast approaching.  Let us unite with God and walk.