There’s an actual verse in the Bible that says those 4 words. “God is for me” (Psalm 56:9). Let’s break them down and unpack this powerful promise.
GOD is for me.
Imagine that you’re an Olympic sprinter. You’re getting ready to run the race. You’re at your starting blocks. The hum of the crowd intensifies as various groups cheer on their favorite sprinters.
An extremely loud, almost deafening voice thunders over the loudspeakers, filling the entire stadium. The voice says your name, and then, “This is God. Go get ‘em! Run like you’ve never run before, and I know you’ll win. I’m cheering you on! You’re my favorite sprinter!”
The other sprinters tilt their heads and look at you, like, “How do you rate?” You just smile. And sprint like you’ve never sprinted before. Gold medal.
God IS for me.
Back in high school you had it going on. Active lifestyle. Lots of friends. But that’s a blast from the past.
These days, you’ll call the day a success if you can finish an entire cup of coffee in the morning before the kids remind you about the appointment with the new teacher that you totally forgot about and the car needs to get to the shop and you haven’t had a day off in months.
Oh, the good old days. Probably gone forever.
But God is there. He hasn’t left. He will never leave. He is faithful.
God is FOR me.
Trouble has a way of finding you. And way too often lately. You might wonder if you did something to make God a little upset. Is he hurling the lightning bolts? Is he provoking your 4-month-old to wake up 4 times during the night? Is he taking you to task for your mistakes and bad decisions?
The simple truth: no. God is on your team, always. God wants what is best for you, always. God promises you his blessings. He is not your enemy but your friend.
God is for ME.
You’ve learned a lot about God in your life. Enough to know that whoever has him on their side is going to be just fine. The thing is, it can feel like he’s blessing everyone else but he’s just not blessing you.
You are the exception.
The problem is, God’s Word doesn’t allow that perspective to be true. God didn’t single you out in the Bible when he promised mercy, patience, listening to prayer, or turning all things out for God. Your name isn’t printed anywhere in the Bible as the one person who is treated more poorly.
You are special to God, and always will be.
PRAYER: Dear God, you are for me even when I feel like you’ve forgotten me, or have a problem with my mistakes or bad decisions. Thank you for your loyal love. Let me live with confident joy today. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Breaking down a verse like I did today is one way to study the Bible. Just focus on a particular verse, and then emphasize each different word in the verse. It draws out understanding and faith in God’s multi-dimensional faithfulness. Try it with another verse!