With Us: An Introduction
Life hasn’t exactly turned out like I would have expected it to. But in all the grief and loss I have experienced the last few years, there is one truth about God’s character that seems to jump off the pages of the Bible repeatedly to me, without me even trying to find it – God’s nearness. From Genesis to Revelation, the theme of God being with his people is woven throughout. This aspect of God’s character has given me comfort, changed my perspective on my circumstances, and drawn me to him in ways I have never imagined. Because I can’t help but find these nuggets of “God with us” all throughout His Word, I thought I’d share some of those with you, here, in the form of short, regular devotionals. Start off your week with the assurance that God is with you – and see how that changes things, no matter what you’re going through or where you are in life. Ask God, “Meet me here” – after all, that’s the very thing he's asking you.
How this works:
On Mondays, for about 8 weeks (and maybe more!), you will find a devotional series on the blog all about this: God with us. I'll include a passage of the Bible, most likely taken from the ESV translation from the Bible, unless otherwise noticed. Because these are short devotionals they won't always have the full context or chapter of the passage included, and I also won't completely share all the details about the passage you might find in an in-depth personal study. My hope, though, is that you'd be able to study that passage on your own without a ton of my personal commentary swaying you (because, you know, the Holy Spirit speaks to you too!), if you're interested in doing so!
Next, I'll include a little bit of context or a takeaway for why this passage stuck out to me, and why I wanted to include it in this devotional.
Then, you'd have a few questions to consider on your own. Some questions might have you think a little deeper about the passage of Scripture. Some might be applications for you in your own walk with God. All of them are created to bring awareness to the various ways that God is with his people all throughout the Bible, with the hopes that God would use what he shows you in your own life to bring you conviction, comfort, or whatever else you may need as you consider God's nearness to you.
My hope & purpose:
These passages are meant to be a quick glance into Scripture to see an overview of one theme of the Bible. These are not intended to take the place of your own personal study, but to enhance it, or get you thinking about the significance of this one aspect of God's character. I have not necessarily studied them incredibly in-depth, but my hope is not to take the passage out of context, either. My prayer is that God will use His Word to pierce your heart with his truth and grace; as I have experienced God's nearness in my life, and seen how much he has transformed me through it, I can't help but share with others! I am confident that understanding God's nearness will shape your perspective on your circumstances. Ask him to meet you in His Word, and be ready to see what he does.
Find all of the devotionals, including the first one, here.