"Walk with God"

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“Walk with God” By Diane Webb

Psalms 16:9 “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

David, in Psalms 16, speaks of his confidence in his relationship with God. He is joyful because God walks beside him—guiding him in all he does. David expresses great trust in God’s counsel and seeks it regularly. He never loses his optimism in his fellowship with God. Like a good friend, he experiences God with him in good times and in bad. He takes great pleasure in being in God’s presence and is therefore not fearful of death. He knows his soul will be in God’s company forever—that he will not be forgotten in death. He understands that living he is with God and dying he is with God. David speaks of both life and death in the same way—being in God’s presence. Because he is with God both physically and spiritually he can rest in hope of his eternity after physical death and not be fearful of living his life. How might you increase your awareness of God’s presence? Psalms 16 was meant to be sung before entering the temple to worship. It was used as part of the preparation for entering God’s presence. Going to church and entering the sanctuary today is still a way to enter into God’s presence. The church building is considered God’s house. We no longer have to go through the physical rituals to enter the church but we can benefit from being in a reverent state of mind and expectant of God’s presence. This will open us up to welcoming God’s presence and, therefore, feeling it stronger. The next time you go to church, keep in mind David’s psalm and go through a brief spiritual process making yourself ready to be in the company of God. It could be just a simple silent prayer before entering the sanctuary—a clearing of your mind of earthly things. By doing so, you can experience a greater fellowship with God during the service. You don’t have to wait until you are in church to experience God’s presence. Not only is church God’s house but your body is as well. Our body is called a temple throughout the Bible (I Cor. 3:16 for example). Therefore, recognize your body as God’s house as well and in doing so make it more inviting for him to dwell with you like he dwelled with David. Cleanse your body of anything that would make it difficult to experience God’s presence. Say a prayer for guidance in this area. By doing so, you can increase your experience of God’s presence in your life outside of church. David experienced God’s presence within the temple as well as throughout his day outside the temple. David lived a life with God by his side day and night. David considered God a close friend and a guide. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we, like David, can have a special relationship with God; a closeness that gives us the assurance of God’s presence both while living physically and living spiritually after death. We can feel God’s presence, by our side, the same as David did. We can experience God’s presence inside the church and out—throughout our daily life. With God by your side day and night, you have no need to fear whatever you face and can, therefore, rest in hope, rejoice in your soul, and be glad in your heart.

Dear God, help me today make myself ready to be a temple for you; help me recognize any area of my life that needs cleaning up in order to experience your presence more deeply and more frequently. My prayer is to be able to walk with you at all times; In Christ’s name, Amen.