Pondering the Prepositions: Over

by David Chadwick

This week, we are looking at how something as simple as an English preposition is a powerful tool when it comes to explaining the nature and character of God. These tiny little worlds that we use so often can also give us strategies for how to pray.

Here is the next preposition to ponder: over.

The sovereign Almighty God of the universe is watching OVER us. In some translations of Psalm 121:5, God’s Word says that the Lord watches OVER us. Psalm 121:8 goes on to say, “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” God never slumbers and sleeps. Isn’t that great news? The eternal God of the universe never sleeps so that we can sleep in perfect peace!

In fact, Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Do any of you struggle with sleepless nights? Or maybe you or someone in your family has night terrors? Is your sleep restless? If so, I want to pray that you will be set free from this torment in Jesus’s name.

If God truly is in control and has all authority and dominion OVER his creation, that means he can set you free. He is in heaven, watching OVER you and me, sitting on his throne, ruling the universe with his perfect grace and truth (John 1:14). He is the peace bringer and the peace giver!

No matter what we may face in our day to day lives, the sovereign Lord who lives in us is in control. He knows what he is doing. We need to fear nothing and can fully trust him with everything.

God is in control. His children will never be forsaken. We know that his kingdom is unshakeable. If this is true, why fear? Pray confidently knowing that he is IN you and WITH you. He goes BEFORE you and BEHIND you. He is ON your side and working FOR you.

And he is OVER everything! No matter what we may face today or forever.

Pondering the Prepositions: On and For

by David Chadwick

This week, for some of you, probably feels like a flashback to elementary English lessons. My hope is to use practical teachings to motivate you in the spiritual practices. Some of the prepositions in the English language are both powerful descriptors of God’s presence and great prompts for how to pray.

Today’s prepositions to ponder: “on” and “for.”

What comes to your mind when you hear these two words? For me, I immediately think about the glorious truth from Psalm 118:6 that God is ON our side. And then in Romans 8:31 which says, “If God is FOR us, who can be against us?”

Think about that for a moment. If you have placed your trust in Jesus, you are on team Jesus and a part of the kingdom of light. This team that you are now on is fighting against team Satan and the kingdom of darkness. If you were to really pause and consider this call to a spiritual battle, how would your days look differently? Would you be more alert? Would you forgive quicker? Would you repent more often? Trust with greater depth?

The Holy God of the universe is actually on your side! He is FOR you in every situation you face. Your closest friend is also a warrior King named Jesus who will fight for you at every turn. These truths should bring radical transformation and endless hope to our lives.

Like many truths in Scripture, this is another mind-boggling truth to grasp and comprehend. Let me say it again. Jesus is on your side. He is for you. He is giving you the strength for whatever you may face.

As these truths permeate our hearts, our prayer lives should increase. Our prayers should be victorious. We should expect to win the battles we face.

We should pray for anything and everything knowing that God is ON our side and FOR us.

Pondering the Prepositions: Before and Behind

by David Chadwick

Jesus Christ, the hope of glory, is IN you. He is also WITH you. While God is a very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), he is also omnipresent, meaning his very nature and character is everywhere. He is eternal and exists outside of time. Because of this, he goes before us and behind us.

Our next prepositions to ponder are “before” and “behind.”

Jesus Christ goes before you every single day. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

He fights our battles for us (Exodus 14:14). This means that before we ever arrive on the scene of a battle, God has already confronted our enemies and has defeated them.

The God of all creation knows our tomorrows, the weeks ahead, the years to come, and the time he will call us home. This is the blessed assurance about which the old hymn speaks and it should prompt us to praise our Savior forevermore!

God is also behind us. He knows the enemy, the devil, loves to catch us off guard. To attack when we aren’t looking. To blindside us when we aren’t expecting it. But God is behind us. God is our blindside! He protects us from the things we can’t see. Lions always attack the stragglers in the herd of the wildebeests.

The assurance of our salvation and of God’s omnipresence should prompt us to fully yield and fully surrender to his plan!

When you pray, pray with confidence. Pray with assurance. Pray with conviction. You are partnering with heaven to see God’s kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

God has already gone before you. He has cleared the path and made a way where there was no way. He is always working even when we cannot see it. He is behind you, overseeing you against all the enemy’s wiles to attack when you least expect it.

The God of the universe is also a deeply personal God. He is both all powerful and all personal!