Our Walk with God

The source of our strength

In the KJV of the bible, the phrase “Right Hand”, appears about 165 times. 8 times, the phrase “right hand of God” is mentioned.

The Bible mentions the Right Hand as symbolic of strength and honor. In the book of Psalms, David says “I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Translated, it means he always follows the Lord, BECAUSE the Lord is at his right hand. David is saying that he follows the Lord, because the Lord is his STRENGTH.

In the book of Exodus, just after God destroyed the Pharaoh’s army, Moses declared “Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.” Moses isn’t suggesting that God used a physical “right hand.” In fact, God instructed Moses to extend a staff to part the seas and to cause the seas to destroy the Pharaoh’s army. Instead, Moses says “Thy right hand, O Lord”, meaning that Moses used God’s strength to part the waters and to spread the waters back over the army.

When I was a child, I have vague memories of Sunday gatherings after church, at Grandma’s house. I can still smell the dinner cooking, and I can still see a pie sitting on the table. The men of the family would sometimes work on a group project, such as a barn repair, or maybe even a local hunting expedition, if a season was in. The women would mostly prepare the meal, send us kids out to play, while they chatted about this and that. Some worked on hand craft projects, like sewing, or they may have even had a unscheduled bible study. The point is, Church was a major focal point in the lives of Christians, and aside from worship, church also provided opportunities for family bonding.

I can recall stories being told of family events and they mostly all revolved around some sort of church gathering or church lessons. Church, GOD, was part of every Christians everyday life. My grandfather was a carpenter and a pastor. He had several sons, and they all turned out to be carpenters of such. I remember grandpa working or doing his daily chores, and at the same time, he would be singing God’s music. My grandmother would also sing. In fact, she taught us to sing certain songs, like “Jesus Loves Me.”

God, Church, Family, Love, Christianity, were all part of life for almost everyone. Christians weren’t afraid to discuss their faith, even with complete strangers. Meals with friends and neighbors were common, and it was just sort of expected that someone would be “saying grace” before anyone could fix a plate of food. You see? God was part of life. Not just my life. He was part of life in most households, to some extent. What happened to us? How did so many of God’s children get so far away from him? Have they forgotten where their strength comes from?

During a recent church service, I listened to the various prayer requests, and as pastor conducted our opening prayer, I was struck by something I had recently heard. It was a question, and it went like this; “Why does God allow suffering? Is he punishing them?” It’s a common question, and one that many have asked.

Walk with God

In order to understand this relationship, let’s look at it like this. God walks along side of us, as our “right hand.” We walk with God, with him as our strength through all the treachery and struggles of life. We will find moments of utter happiness, and we will also endure times of extreme heartache and struggle. But through the strength of the Lord beside us, we can endure it and he will comfort us. During those times of struggle, we can seek him out in prayer and feel his loving spirit inside our hearts. It will be just enough to pass through the struggle. Occasionally, one might see another road. A nicely paved road with beautiful scenery, and a slight decline so that we can just cruise along without effort. This road is a lie perpetuated by the devil. The devil knows that the end of this road leads to despair and destruction. The only place this road will lead is to hell, where he can torture us for eternity.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said (Mathew 7:13-14) ¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Jesus is explaining that the narrow gate, the road that is hardest to navigate and the road hardest to travel, will ultimately lead us to life. Life, meaning everlasting life in heaven. While the wide gate is broad, meaning it will be easier to find and easier to travel. It may be easier to travel, but it will ultimately lead us to hell and our destruction.

As we walk with God, we may find struggle, despair, and sadness, but we will not face it alone. God will be there to aid and comfort us. If we separate from God, following the lie of the devil and choosing a path that looks easier to navigate, we will face hardship alone in our struggles, and without the strength of God at our right hand. Struggle isn’t punishment from God. Struggle is how we go through life. God never promises us that life will be nothing but happiness. God does promise us that he will be there to comfort us in our struggle, and if we remain faithful to him in our walk with God, he will offer himself as a strength and shield from the destruction from the devil in hell. Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul gives us this:

“ ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”