Psalm 9:2-3
‘I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.’
DAILY READING Colossians 1:24-2:19; Ezekiel 27-28; Isaiah 54
He was born to poor and pious parents who taught him about God, early in life. Their family was so poor, that at some point, he had to pull out of school. And at a tender age he began working at the mills, while continuing his education at an evening school. But despite his poor background Dr. David Livingstone ended up becoming one of the most popular British heroes of the 19th century. he was a pioneer medical missionary, an explorer in Africa, whose exploits turned him into a living wonder to his generation. He accomplished unimaginable feats, travelling through lands which no white men had ever set foot on. He made some of the most prodigious, and most dangerous, explorations of the nineteenth century. His object was to open a missionary Road or ‘God’s Highway,’ through which the Gospel could gain access to the African hinterlands. He also fought hard to stop the African slave trade. His life was a reflection of God’s amazing grace and guidance.
David succeeded due to a strong assurance of God’s Presence. As a young boy, from the stories his father told him about great missionary exploits, he had developed a burning desire to be a missionary. One day, he got on his knees and prayed, “Lord, Send me anywhere, only go with me” And the words of God came to him “Lo, I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.” This assurance of God’s Presence gave him great confidence and led to the exploits he would later do as a missionary in Africa. In his missionary journeys, God’s Presence always made the difference for him. Many times, he ran out of supplies, yet God would raise native chiefs to give him all he needed to continue in his journey. He passed through many dangers; yet God miraculously protected him. Agents of the slave trade who wanted to stop his work, often set ambushes for him, yet he always miraculously escaped. At one time, while walking through the jungle, spears were thrown at him, a spear grazed his neck, another missed him by a foot, but none ever hit him. He suffered many bouts of fever that could have killed lesser men, yet he survived. He passed barbaric tribes and chiefs, who resisted him, and yet God gave him victory through it all. The story of his exploits remain an amazement even to the present generation. But his great secret was awareness of God’s unmistakable Presence. This also has been the secret of great men of God who have done exploits in the kingdom.
Speaking of Moses, Hebrews 11:27 said ‘By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.’
It was the invisible Presence of God that made Moses to dare pharaoh and lead the Jews out of bondage. Likewise, our greatest asset in life and ministry is awareness of God’s Presence. Knowing that you are surrounded by God’s power will change your walk and embolden your talk. It will destroy fear forever from your heart, and cause you to do the impossible, knowing the greater One is in you.
Psalm 114 records that when Israel left Egypt, it was God’s Presence that made the red sea to part, and caused the mountains and hills to skip. And in Acts 10:38, The Bible says ‘Jesus went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.’. So it was God Presence being with Jesus, that made demons to scream at His appearance and also led to the mighty signs and wonders in His ministry. Likewise, when we carry God’s Presence, evil will see us and flee, because evil can never stand where God abides. God’s Presence is an unbeatable asset in the journey of life. When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, why you will fear no evil, is because God is with you.
Psalm 9:3 says ‘When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.’ And Psalm 97:5 says, God’s Presence causes the hills to melt like wax before you. So God’s Presence ensures evil never survives around you. Indeed God’s Presence makes the difference. And God’s Presence is available to every child of God. The same way God’s Presence was with Jesus, so can it be with us.
In John 8:29, Jesus said ‘And He that sent Me, is with Me, The Father had not left Me alone, for I do always those things that please Him.’
In the same way, for The Father to be with us, we have to do the things that please Him. And one of the key things that pleases God is praise. And as we maintain His Presence through High praises today, we can be assured of unending victory in every battle of life.
PRAYER: Lord, please help me to maintain Your Presence through doing those things that please You always. Grant me the grace to maintain a tempo of high praise, so that Your Presence can always abide with me, and make the difference in my life in Jesus Name.
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When God places His hand upon a man in life nothing can come against him, this is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.