JANUARY 18, 2025
Topic: “BENEFITS OF INTIMACY WITH GOD: ASSURED SAFETY AND PROTECTION ”
Text: Psalms 91:1-8
Memory Verse: “If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.” Psalms 91:9-10
In the year 2022, we went for an excursion to Olumo Rock in Abeokuta Ogun State. We climbed the rock and the tour guide took us under the rock, where we saw some remnants of mud building. We inquired from the tour guide about what we saw and he said that was where people hid for safety during times of war as a refuge.
The world today is full of danger and insecurity. Many people are looking for a place of safety. The only place of safety is in the secret place of the Most High. When you tarry in His presence, you will experience His protection. There is no assured safety in the armed forces, or in riches, but only in the presence of God. The Psalmist acknowledged that he who tarries in the secret place of the Most High God will find rest and safety according to v. 1-2.
The devil is always devising means to trap believers. As the word of God stated in 1 Peter 5:8 (“The devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking for whom to devour.”) The enemy works like a wall clock looking for who to destroy with his schemes. The Lord promised to deliver us from the snare of the fowler and any kind of epidemic that may ravage the world. His feathers and wings will cover you and keep you safe.
King Saul tried all he could to eliminate David but he could not succeed because David was a man after God’s heart. Absalom, the son of David tried to kill him but all his efforts ended in self-destruction. The wild beasts wanted to eat David up in the wilderness when he was tending his father’s flock, but the power of God that emanates from intimacy with God delivered him. Goliath in the city became like a bird in the air that was brought down with a catapult. There are many benefits in intimacy with God.
Though our world is full of uncertainties, terrors and complexities, God’s Word clearly states, “A thousand may fall by your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” So, do not allow any shade of fear or negative thoughts, for God is with you! God would not have brought you this far if He would not see you through. Whatever happens, do not forget that our God answers us when we pray to Him, and His faithfulness will see us through as we journey through life.
PRAYER: O Lord, always draw me to your presence. May nothing take me out of your secret place in Jesus’ name, Amen.