David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.

  I Samuel 18:14

David was being pursued by Saul – his enemy.  Not because any fault of David’s, but because his enemy knew he had favor with God. But God was with David every step of the way and the victory was won. Saul was defeated.

What is the enemy that is pursuing you?  Pain, sickness, disease, lingering illness? These things don’t come because of some failing of ours but because we have a very real enemy whose purpose is to steal, kill and destroy and if it weren’t for the Lord being with us, we might be destroyed.

But God made the way for us to be continually in His presence.  In fact, He made the way for us to be the place of His presence here on earth by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We can expect to succeed, even in the face of an enemy, as David did, simply because the Lord is with us.

I got a wonderful reminder of that some time ago. My dog Chloe has an intuitive nature; she would make a great therapy dog.  We were in the woods trying to climb a sharp incline, which wouldn’t cause a problem if my knees could bend the way they are supposed to.  Chloe, knowing I needed help, took one step ahead and waited for me to take that step.  Then she took another one and waited for me.  All this on a loose leash.  She was never trained to do this! She continued this, one step at a time, until we made it to the top at which point she began tugging on the leash like she usually does.  It was amazing. My dog who is so eager to run, took one step at a time to help me when I needed it. 

Even more amazing is that God is with us, step by step, leading us to victory.  Ever patient, ever present, leading, guiding, supporting. What is the sharp incline you are trying to scale?  What seems insurmountable to you?  Can you take comfort in knowing that the God of the universe loves you enough to slow down and stay with you every minute, every step, every day?

Thank you Father for choosing to be with me. Forgive me for the times I see the enemy as bigger than I see You, open my eyes to see You more clearly and thank You that as I face obstacles in my path that would hinder me, that You are ever present, ever patient as You lead, guide, and support me, step by step to victory in Jesus’ name, amen

pic credit: Salt Lake Christian Church