God goes ahead

Psalm 23:2 says in part, "He leads me..."  Again in Psalm 23:3, the Bible says "He leads me..."  Of course there are other places through the Bible that talk about God's leading.  Here is another example, Isaiah 48:17.

This is what the Lord says—
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is good for you
and leads you along the paths you should follow.

If the Lord leads us, that means He's in front of us.  Deuteronomy 1:30 speaks of "The Lord your God, who goes before you."  What all of this means is that God goes before we go, so He sees before we see and He knows before we know.  Because He loves us, He prepares us for what is to come, even when we don't know that's what He's doing.

I have several passwords at work.  Sometimes I turn a Bible verse into a password.  I might use the scripture reference, e.g., for Psalm 23:6 I might use Ps41m23:6.  Or I might use the first letter from words in the verse: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me  might become Sg&msfmPs23:6.  Each time I type the password, I say the verse.  This is a good way to have strong passwords, memorize scripture, and remember God throughout your day.

Recently I started using a password based on Psalm 28:7:

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.

I don't know why I chose that verse.  It's not one with which I'm particularly familiar.  I don't remember hearing a song or a sermon that brought it to mind.  But several times each day for a couple of weeks now, I've been entering my password and saying that verse.  A few days ago, I was involved in an unpleasant incident at work, one in which I felt I had no recourse.  At first I was distressed, but each time I type my password throughout the day and say the words, "The Lord is my strength and my shield," I am blessed and comforted.  The part about the Lord being my shield especially speaks to me.  A shield is exactly what I need...and I have One.

God went before me and and prepared me for what He knew was coming.  He will do the same for you.  We will not avoid life's difficulties, but remember Psalm 34:19:

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

And as you wait for our faithful God to fulfill that promise, remember Isaiah 43:2:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.