08 Psalm 91 You are my God

Psalm 91 Study 8 You are My God We read in Psalm 91:2, "I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."" (GW) If we observe the above mentioned verse, the Psalmist refers to God in a most personal way when He says of God, 'My refuge', 'My fortress' and 'My God'. God is not a supernatural power who is far away, who cannot empathize with us, but a personal God who desires to speak to us and have fellowship with us. Progressively mankind has been neglecting God, and the majority turn to Him only when challenged with hardships or difficulties. We will study in depth to understand how God desires to have this personal relationship with us. * Job had a personal experience with God We read in Job 42:5, "In the past I knew only what others had told me, but now I have seen you with my own eyes." (GNB) Job faced unimaginable trials in his life and lost everything that was dear to him. However, we read at the end of Job's life that God everything restored to him in full measure. That was when Job testified, that though he had formerly heard about God from others, his eyes had now beheld and experienced God's mighty wonders first hand. God had become a personal God to Job and was no longer a hearsay. God longs for each one of us to have a personal relationship with Him. This should not be based on the faith of our grand-parents, our parents or our pastor, but should be founded our own personal experience with God. If this is not so, we will not be able to face or escape the calamities that will come upon us. The Lord has permitted this pandemic I believe, to get the attention of everyone in the world as He wishes to convey something important to us. The people of the world have been hustling along in pursuit of money and possessions, forgetting that there is something fundamental that man is in need of, which is God and His Kingdom. The word of God reminds us that if we seek after God and His Kingdom, everything else will be added to us as well. Ruth made Naomi's God her personal God We read in Ruth 1:11""You must go back, my daughters," Naomi answered."Why do you want to come with me?"(GNB) Naomi had come to Moab, but when she became a widow and also lost both her sons, she decided to get back to the land of Judah. Naomi had two daughters in law both of whom were from Moab. Naomi encouraged both of her daughters in law, Ruth and Orpah, to get back to their own homes. While Orpah left to go back to her family, Ruth refused to do so. This was her reply in Ruth 1:16, "But Ruth answered, "Don't ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God."(GNB) Ruth made a decision to go with her mother-in-law Naomi, resolving to make Naomi's people her people, and Naomi's God her God. Naomi knew the Lord, but Ruth was a Moabites, but she still was determined to follow her mother in law, and make Naomi's God her personal God too. When Naomi and Ruth got back to Naomi's home town, this is what happened. We read in Ruth 2:3, "So Ruth went out to the fields and walked behind the workers, picking up the heads of grain which they left. It so happened that she was in a field that belonged to Boaz." (GNB) As Ruth went to pick up the heads of grains that were left over from the fields, little did she realize that these fields belonged to Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi. There were many fields in the land of Judah in those days, but the Lord in His divine plan led Ruth to the fields of Boaz. The outcome of her going to the fields of Boaz is recorded in Ruth 4:13, "So Boaz took Ruth home as his wife." (GNB) Though Ruth was an outside from Moab, God blessed her with a new lease of life, simply because she made Naomi's God her personal God. Each one of us must have this experience of having a personal relationship with God. The moment we acknowledge that God is our God, His immediate response to us is that 'We are His children.' When we trust God fully and walk in obedience to Him, He becomes our faithful Father who is not only willing, but able to meet all of our needs. The Samaritan Woman accepted the Messiah It is recorded in John 4:25, "The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah will come, and when he comes, he will tell us everything.""(GNB) The Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus in John 4, had heard about the coming of the Messiah through some source. However, when she met Jesus, she did not realize who Jesus was, and therefore she told Jesus who was the Messiah Himself, about the coming of the Messiah. In John 4:26, we read, Jesus answered, "I am he, I who am talking with you." (GNB) Also in John 4:28-29, "Then the woman left her water jar, went back to the town, and said to the people there, "Come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done. Could he be the Messiah?"" (GNB) When she recognized that Jesus was indeed the Messiah who was to come, without any hesitation she left her water pots, and ran to invite her entire town to come and meet Jesus. A woman who was hesitant to mingle with others, was suddenly transformed after this amazing encounter with Jesus. The Lord's word of encouragement to us is that, we can have this personal relationship with the God who created the entire universe. We can approach Him boldly and speak to Him without any inhibitions. The Lord desires to come and dwell within each one of us. The Lord has promised that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there in their midst. As families, we must believe that God is with us, and learn to commune with Him on a daily basis. Many people are aware that God is with them, but are ignoring Him to their own detriment. The woman with an issue of blood believed Jesus for her miracle It is recorded in Mark 5:25-28, "There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve years, even though she had been treated by many doctors. She had spent all her money, but instead of getting better she got worse all the time. She had heard about Jesus, so she came in the crowd behind him, saying to herself, "If I just touch his clothes, I will get well."" (GNB) Here was a woman who was suffering from an ailment for twelve long years. She heard about Jesus through somebody. Her faith began to grow, and then she decided that she would somehow approach Jesus to touch the hem of His garment. She touched Jesus, was instantly healed, and Jesus too knew that a healing had taken place. Jesus turned back and asked the crowds as to who touched Him, only because He wanted the woman to openly testify to the miracle she had received, as a result of the faith that she had placed in Him. When we hear about Jesus our faith will grow, but it is only when we have a personal relationship with Him that our lives will be transformed. When we desire to have this close relationship with God, He too in turn wants to have that intimate relationship with us, and He will certainly speak to us. Zacchaeus had this personal encounter with Jesus In Luke 19 we read of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, a short man who wanted to see Jesus. He thought he could hide in the tree, but Jesus recognized that Zacchaeus genuinely longed to have a relationship with Him. He ignored the huge crowds and stopped at the tree where Zacchaeus was perched, hastened him to come down, and invited Himself to his home. In every house that worships together and prays together, be assured that the Lord is there in your midst. Instead of bemoaning that we are unable to worship the Lord corporately in church, we should acknowledge and rejoice that the presence of the Lord is there with us right in our homes. Bartimaeus had a personal encounter with Jesus and received sight We read in Mark 10:47-52, "When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!" Many of the people scolded him and told him to be quiet. But he shouted even more loudly, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man. "Cheer up!" they said. "Get up, he is calling you." So he threw off his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. "Teacher," the blind man answered, "I want to see again." "Go," Jesus told him, "your faith has made you well." At once he was able to see and followed Jesus on the road."(GNB) Bartimaeus was a blind man, a beggar, who heard about Jesus, and he began to shout out to Jesus saying, "Jesus! Son of David! Have mercy on me!" When he called out, Jesus immediately stopped and responded to his cry. As Bartimaeus threw off his cloak and ran to meet Jesus, Jesus asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' Bartimaeus asked Jesus that he might receive his sight to see again. When Bartimaeus' eyes were opened, the first person he beheld was Jesus. Bartimaeus was a changed man. He was no longer a beggar, but went on to share the wonders of the Lord Jesus to everyone he met. We too can be assured that whenever we cry out to the Lord, He will undeniably give heed to our call. Right now during these trying times, let us call on the Lord for He alone will come to our rescue. The early church had much persecution, and the outcome was that they began to gather together in homes. As they did so there was a great revival, and unimaginable signs and wonders were being performed, and multitudes flocked into the Kingdom of God. No one can hinder us from worshipping the Lord in our homes, except us. During these days when we are locked up in our homes, we must be well prepared, have a clear mind to worship God in sincerity and truth. Like Bartimaeus who looked unto Jesus, every day when we wake up in the morning let us turn our eyes to the Lord alone, not to people or to the media, or our mobile phones. We have taken for granted all the mercies of God, and neglected our coming together as believers to worship the Lord. This is the time to repent and ask the Lord to restore to us what we have lost. The church on earth is actually a rehearsal of what is going to take place in heaven. We have our work and responsibilities, but in the midst of all of this we must have the experience of worshipping God, and spending time with Him. We have heard about Mary and Martha who were friends of Jesus. While Martha toiled hard to prepare a meal for Jesus, Mary sat at His feet to listen to Him. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping her with her chores, Jesus responded by commending Mary for choosing the good part that He said would never be taken away from her. All of our earthly work will cease one day, but in eternity we will like Mary always be enjoying the presence of the Lord, worshipping and praising Him forever. * Saul got converted after his personal encounter with Jesus We read in Acts 9:1-2, "In the meantime Saul kept up his violent threats of murder against the followers of the Lord. He went to the High Priest and asked for letters of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he should find there any followers of the Way of the Lord, he would be able to arrest them, both men and women, and bring them back to Jerusalem." (GNB) Saul had not met Jesus personally, but he was a Pharisee who did not believe in Jesus, and therefore went all out to destroy the church. He took a challenge to persecute and kill all those who followed the teachings of Jesus. Saul was an educated man, a Hebrew, a Pharisee who was tutored under a great Scholar named Gamaliel and was very talented. What Saul did not realize was that when he persecuted the church, he was in actuality persecuting the Lord Jesus Himself. When Saul was on his way to Damascus, with letters of introduction from the High Priest to arrest those who believed in Jesus, the Lord Jesus met with Saul. All that Saul saw was a bright light and immediately he fell to the ground. We read in Acts 9:4-5, "And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." (KJV) When Saul fell to the ground and heard the voice, he recognized that it was God whom he had met. When Saul asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' immediately the Lord responded by saying, 'I am Jesus, whom you persecute.' The Lord made it clear to Saul that the ones whom he persecuted were not men, but the Lord who dwelt in them. The Lord also told Saul that it would be hard for him to kick against the pricks. You might have seem some people who ride bullock carts, who have in their hands a stick with a sharp point to prod the animal to move faster. If the bullock rebels and tries to kick, it would be hurt badly, and hence it learns to submit to the prodding. In the same way the Lord conveyed to Saul that if he tried to harass God's people, and rebel against God, he alone would be hurt in the process. When Saul met Jesus, his life was totally transformed. This same Saul became Paul who glorified the very name of Jesus, whom he tried to malign. The one who tried to break down churches became the one who built so many churches. Saul understood that Jesus was a God of love, compassion and that apart from Him there is no way for forgiveness of sins or a way to heaven. It is an established fact that anyone who opposes the Lord Jesus or His children, will never prevail. If there is someone who can humble us and make us fall to the ground, it surely must be the Lord, for no one can stand against God. Anyone who tries to stop believers from coming together and schemes against the church will encounter the exact same predicament that Saul faced. It is only when each one of us have a personal encounter and relationship with the Lord Jesus, will we have a blessed life. May we be able to say with the Psalmist in Psalm 91:2, "I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.""(GW) We would be a blessed people if we can say 'The Lord is my personal God.'