By Emeritus Prof. Mercy Olumide

The Benefits Of Adoration (cont)

His name is “Emmanuel,” meaning “God with us” (Mat 1:23). Again, at the end of his Gospel Matthew records Jesus’ promise to His disciples: “And lo, I am with you always” (Mat 28:20). Mark ends his gospel with the words: “Then the disciples ‘went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them,’” (Mark 16:20).

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd;He will gather the lambs with His arm,and carry them in His bosom,and gently lead those who are with young,” (Is 40:11).

God is described as one who picks up an individual lamb in order to protect it and carry it close to His heart (cf. Mat 6:24-34). Although God is all-powerful (v.10) and He regards the nations as dust (v.15), He still cares for each of His own in a personal way. We must never think that God is so majestic that He ignores the needs and problems of the individual believers.

But Zion said: “The Lordhas forsaken me,and my Lord has forgotten me. 15: Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?Surely they may forget,yet I will not forget you. 16: See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;your walls are continually before Me. 17: Your sons shall make haste;your destroyers and those who laid you wasteshall go away from you,” (Is 49:14-17).

49:14-17 “The Lord has forsaken me.” These are the words of the Israelites, who experienced great adversity and thus felt abandoned and forgotten by God. God’s response gives divine assurance to any believer going through trying times.

1• His love for us is greater than the natural affection of a loving mother for her children; it is therefore unthinkable that He will ever forget us, especially in our times of despair and grief (cf.Jer 31:20).

2• His compassion for us will never fail, regardless of life’s circumstances; He watches over us with great tenderness and love, and we mayrest in the conviction that He will never leave us.

3• The evidence of God’s great love is that He has engraved us on the palms of His own hands, so that He can never forget us; the scars in His hands are ever before His eyes, as a reminder of the great love He has showered on us and of His desire to care for us.

A Thirst For God; Yearning For God (Ps 42)
When you feel lonely or depressed meditate on God’s kindness and love. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps 42:2)

As water is essential for physical life, so God and His presence are essential for satisfaction and wholeness of life.

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