God Be With Me and I Also With Him

I'm beginning to realize that, up till now, I prepared for challenging events, situations and social visits by praying,

“I need you for this, God. I’m really going to need you there with me.” 

And sure enough, God goes right there with me. 

But then, during the event, situation or visit, when my ire is pricked due to some comment that was to be expected from the usual suspect (this is why I pleaded that God be with me, right?) or the famously-toxic individual shows up as caustic as ever, although God is there too, I fail to rely on Him for the self-monitoring of my angst, mental self-talk, and react-from-the-hip inner resentment. 

Walking into gatherings or a work group, or spending time with individuals who never fail to push our buttons, is a boxing match where we are tempted to counter a verbal punch with our own (be it verbal or a seething internal mental punch). God is with us, alright, but in that aggravating moment we have instantly lost sight of Him. 

That’s because, for me, anyway, my prayer that God be with me is meant in the sense of His moral support or witness of the circumstances taking place. I want God on my team, and that’s typically where I leave Him—somewhere in the outfield while I’m at the plate singlehandedly swinging the bat; striking out.

Instead, I realize now, when I pray for God to be with me, imploring Him,

“I really need You” 

I must also now mean to pray that I also be and stay with God.

This requires that, in the throes of the difficult moment, I don’t break with God by becoming pulled into family disputes and gossip, or frustrated in the discomfort of strong-willed or dominant personalities, or irritated from having to work together on a team of people who take an entirely different approach and attitude than I do regarding a project.

It’s great for God to be with us, and for us to want Him there. That serves a huge purpose in comfort and needed courage. 

But to follow our commitment to Christ through all the way, and grow in the process, we can pray that we, in turn, be with God—that we are intentional with Him in keeping our sin tendencies in check so as to pass whatever social or familial test that awaits us. 

This is made easier when we remember that that is the whole point:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 (see also Micah 6:8). (It took me many years to understand that “good works” includes keeping my own self in check).

The amazing reality is that God has already set up our way to maturity, integrity, joy and contentment. He has already prepared us. And He has provided us with an additional sense—the Holy Spirit. 

This is what being born again is about: not just God walking with us, but us willingly—even when it’s hard and we don’t want to—walking with Him too.

God assures us that, when we stick with Him in our thoughts, responses and actions, He will give us the thumbs up (Matthew 10:40; Galatians 6:9; Philippians 3:14; Colossians 3:23; Hebrews 10:23, 11:6; James 1:12; Psalm 19 ).  

And we will begin to observe the miracle of the dismantling of personal hornets’ nests that, up till now, have haunted us because “these things” always seem to go the same infuriating way. And even though they do continue on in that dysfunctional manner for everyone else, for once and forever, they can and do go a different way for us because we lived Christ, not ourself. 

People and situations rarely change (even switching jobs or cities often brings the same conflicts, personality clashes, and politics, only involving a different cast of characters). 

That’s where compassion and objective discernment can enter in if we train them to— by accepting the hard and true fact that without God, parents, siblings, co-workers, professors, bosses and neighbors don’t even realize they must change, or how to do it. 

The only control we have is to be actively reliant upon our Messiah, thinking and responding accordingly, enlisting His changing of us. 

Any unfairness, old wounds or needling of our patience can be dealt with later, alone, with the God who knows every hair upon our head (Luke 12:7 ), and who delights to spend time nurturing His children back to sound emotional health (Luke 18:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Philippians 4:6; James 1:12; 2 Chronicles 16:9a; Psalm 17; Psalm 19:12-14, Psalm 51; Lamentations 3:22-23). 

Copyright Barb Harwood