Following Jesus

photo credit

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.

Ephesians 5:1

Years ago, I heard a message on following God.
Although I've heard many messages in my life that haven't stuck with me,
this one did & I think of it often.

The part I remember most was when the minister shared that he wanted to follow God so closely
that he could eat from the palm of His hand.

I remember instantly visualizing beautiful path.
I could see the back of our Lord as I was following after him, along with a group of many people.
His arms were outstretched & in His hands was bread.
Those of us following close could reach out & take it as we desired.

My mind went to those who weren't following so closely.
They were getting the crumbs that were falling along the way & were straining to hearing His voice.

I  began to reflect back on my own Christian walk.
I have faithfully followed the Lord for many years ... from the time I was a child, in fact.
But there have been times that my steps have been slow & I've followed from afar off.

I've lingered, sometimes feeling immobile because of hurt, pain, & confusion.
In times of weakness, I've even sat down to rest until I've felt able to walk on.
During these times, I've picked up the crumbs along the way.

I am so grateful that those times have been far & few between
& that His strength is made perfect in my weaknesses.
His still, small voice always breaks through the noise of crowd {or the noises in my head},
as He reminds me that I've rested long enough.
It's time to walk on.

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.

~Deuteronomy 31:8

My heart's desire is to follow God so closely that I can eat from the palm of His hand.
I can go to Him for nourishment as often as I like ... & it's fresh each & every time.
I can clearly hear His voice as He instructs & guides.
His words of encouragement strengthen me.
I'm not as apt to fall into the ditch or the pot holes because I hear His warnings as I follow closely.
These are the benefits of living life in the presence of God & following close to Him.

During Jesus' time of ministry here on earth, people who needed to be fed followed after Him.
He wants us to to just that today ... to seek His will & follow Him
so that He can meet our physical & spiritual needs.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

~James 4:8

Here are some ways that keep me walking close to the Lord:

• Devoted time to reading/studying His Word
• Keeping a consistent prayer life
• Meditating on His goodness
• Counting my many blessings

  My soul follows close after you: your right hand upholds me.  
~Psalm 63:8