God Goes Before Us – Emily's Snippets

God
is First and Last. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12.

While teaching a sixth-grade classroom, an unrelated question came from a
student. When was God born? How would I answer such a question?
Immediately, the answer came to my mind. In the beginning, God
created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1.

God goes before us for He knows all things, He created all things, including
you and me. As a girl, I learned the beginning of Psalm 121:1-2. I lift
up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?My
help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. The
rest of the Psalm includes weighty thoughts such as He does not slumber nor
sleep. He keeps us from all evil when we hunger and thirst for
righteousness.

I look into the Heavens each evening to see the stars and the moon. I sing
praises to our God in my heart for His great love. God is before us in all
things, no matter what color our skin, where we come from, whether in poverty
of plenty.

God is the author of love which brings joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, gentleness and self-control into our lives. God’s greatest desire for
us is Redemption from slavery from evil, including lies, anger, impatience, and
sorrows.

All people are created in the Image of God. So God created
man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female
He created them. Genesis 1:27.

Then our Lord God sent His Son Jesus (Yeshua, meaning to rescue or deliver)
into this world to be the sacrifice for our sins. He is our Gift of Grace. We
cannot earn this gift, but in humility, we praise God as He transforms our
lives to obey God’s commands. After the crucifixion, God reached down on the 3^rd
day and raised Jesus from the dead. What does this mean for us?

Just as death was conquered when Jesus was raised from the dead, so we shall be
raised from the dead when we belong to Him. We were buried therefore
with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk
in newness of life.For if we
have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be
united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified
with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so
that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:4-6.

Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in His deeds toward the
children of man.
Psalm 66:5.

How much can we depend on God to care for us? Psalm 46:1-3 tells us. God is
our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble.Therefore, we will not fear though the
earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the
sea,though its waters roar and foam, though
the mountains tremble at its swelling. He makes wars cease to the end of
the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; He burns
the chariots with fire.

My continuing joy is His faithful love. How can we experience this joy? Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in
him! Let all the upright in heart exult! Psalm
64:10.

LOVE has only four letters, yet only in His Love can we know how great an
impact it makes in this world. He wraps his arms around us, whispering words of
redemption and forgiveness. Only then can we truly love one another.

When my way seems more than I can handle with mountainous moments of distress,
help me see your plan for my life more clearly. Hear my
cry, O God, listen to my prayer;from
the end of the earth, I call to You when my heart
is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher
than I,for You have been my refuge, a
strong tower against the enemy. Psalm
61:1-3. The 8^th verse says, “So will I ever sing praises to
Your Name, as I perform my vows day after day.”

May my complaints and troubles change to messages of hope from our Lord
God. My prayer is to fulfill God’s purpose for me on this earth. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my
soul takes refuge; in the shadow of
Your wings, I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.I
cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me. Psalm 57:1-2.

God goes before us… then I must follow, even as the Children of Israel
followed the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them
along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they
might travel by day and by night. The
pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from
before the people. Exodus 13:21-22.

Just as the Children had the signs of God to lead them, we have the inspired
Word of God to provide us Light on our life’s pathway to follow. It is the
living Word, sharper than a two-edged sword. Through Christ Jesus, we have the
Holy Spirit to teach us in our hearts.

The
more birthdays we pile on, the broader our scope becomes of how God Goes
Before Us, and the more opportunities we find to serve God and enrich our
relationship with Him. This leads to more Worship. From Psalms 42-72, there are
many verses of worship:

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with
loud songs of joy! Psalm 47:1

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him
comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Great is the Lord and
greatly to be praised in the city of our God! Psalm 48:1

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him
comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul
thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you. Psalm 64:1

Shout
for joy to God, all the earth. Psalm 66:1

May
God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. Psalm
67:1

Blessed
be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Psalm 72:8.

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