Making it Personal

How personal is my relationship with God?

When I was in high school, I loved to ride on the faith of other people. I was such an expert at this, appearing godly only when it suited me. For example, when the KCSE mock exams drew close, I asked my Christian friends to pray for me. A few months later, when the final examinations came and I was slightly unwell during one paper, I asked for prayer again. All this time, I never made my faith personal – I figured that my friends’ prayers would sort me out. Interestingly, they did.

Deep inside me, however, there was a growing hunger for God. I felt empty. I felt that I needed to know Him personally, but my ego would not let me cross over to His side. After school, however, reality came knocking. Life was not going to be as easy as it was in high school. I needed help. I needed God.

I gave my life to Him.

Shortly after, we joined university. I found myself back in the bandwagon of prayer meetings, fellowships, Bible studies, etc. I was so caught in the life of being a Christian that I had no time to grow as a Christian. Can you imagine that? Anyway – to cut a long story short, I eventually realized that I had to know God for myself, to understand His ways, His character, His laws, and His nature.

I am still getting to know the Lord.

The past couple of months have been crazy for me and other Kenyans. In the midst of all the uncertainty and fear, though, I have been challenged to once again personalize my faith, almost like getting to know the Lord afresh. I’ve been reading through the Psalms, and in several instances, noted that the Psalmist refers to the Lord in a very personal way, like he has had a chance to meet Him personally! As I looked closer, I found a few words that the Psalmist used to describe the Lord, words that I am sure will bring comfort to all of us.

My Shepherd

Psalm 23:1a “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” (NIV)

Shepherds do not exactly have the most exciting of lives. They talk to sheep all day! The only other entertainment shepherds get is from meeting other shepherds! If even one sheep gets lost, however, the shepherd will abandon everything to look for that sheep. He loves his sheep that much.

The Lord loves us just like a shepherd would. He leads us to places where we can eat and rest, protecting us all the time. If one of us gets lost, the rest are left safely locked up as he goes out to look for that one sheep. If there is a terrible storm, he does not leave us alone but stays with us until it is over. When our spirits are shattered by pain and fear He swiftly comes to restore our souls.

With a shepherd like the Lord on my side, I do not need to struggle to look for anything I need. He takes care of me because He loves me.

My Rock. My Fortress. My Deliverer.

Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge…” (NIV)

Rock. Fortress. Deliverer. These three words speak of protection. And not just any protection. Think of a huge rock in a quarry. How much strength does it take to break such a rock? In most cases, an explosive is necessary for the job! Then there is the fortress. In the olden days, people put up huge fortresses to keep their enemies out. These fortresses were heavily fortified and almost impenetrable! A deliverer, on the other hand, is anyone who willingly rescues another person from danger.

Now put all these three words together.

Rock. Fortress. Deliverer. An unbreakable rock, an impenetrable fortress, and a selfless deliverer. All mine, if I choose to have a personal relationship with the Lord.

My Strength. My Shield.

Psalm 28:7a “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.” (NIV)

Imagine yourself as a warrior heading out to war. You put on your armor, lift up your weapons, and begin to walk towards the battlefield. As you do so, you begin to doubt the effectiveness of your weapons. Will this sword really help me vanquish my foes, you ask yourself. Will this shield protect me from the weapons of the enemy? As your doubts increase, your confidence decreases, and you become fearful because you have lost trust in your weapons of war.

Not a great place for a warrior to be at, is it? Well, as Christians we are at war daily – against the desires of the flesh, the evil one, and the world at large. If we don’t trust our weapons, we are bound to be overcome. The thing is, however, our physical weapons are not enough to deal with all these things. We cannot fight these battles alone.

Which is why we should rely totally on the Lord for strength and protection.

David, one of the greatest warriors of his time, could have decided to rely on his own strength as he battled his enemies. After all, everyone was talking about his exploits! But no – David acknowledged that the Lord was his strength and shield, i.e. that his success as a warrior came from the Lord.

How, then, do we succeed in the battles that surround us daily? By remembering that with the Lord at our side, giving us strength and protection, we will make it through. By letting Him fight the battles on our behalf. By maintaining a personal relationship with Him and letting Him handle what we can’t.

Dear friends, have you made your relationship with the Lord personal? Have you asked Him to be the Lord of your life? If not, please consider doing so – it’s the best decision you will ever make in your entire life. If you have already made the bold step of welcoming Jesus into your life, continue to deepen your relationship with Him. Make your relationship with Him a personal one, one that you look forward to daily, and one that you cannot do without.

 

 

 

 

Hi, everyone! I hope you have been well! Are you challenged to make your relationship with God more personal than it already is? This is an area that I am constantly working on! Please share this article with someone who needs to read it, and also, don’t forget to leave a comment below. Have a great week ahead!