Continuous Dialogue with God

UV 1453/10000 Continuous Dialogue with God
In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
Psalm 56 v 4
We trust people who are consistent, who keep their word, who can be relied upon, who are faithful and come to our help in our time of need as we would in theirs. We can depend on them to keep a confidence. Similarly, we trust God on account of His character, His dependability in all circumstances. He does not change with the times or go back on His promises to us. He is not only trustworthy, He is also omnicompetent. He can do all things. The difficult and the impossible are within the realm of ease and possibility. His heart, His word and His hands match. When we praise the Word, God is glorified and thrilled. He is satisfied and gratified by His creation’s response. He will not regret having created us. He will not regret having sent His Son as a sacrifice for us. David wrote that He values His Word more than the greatness of His own name. He sets greatest store by fulfilling His Word in all its details. Indeed, God and not the devil is in the details.

Faith or trust in God enables us to overcome every fear. We no longer fear what man can do to us. At worst they can only kill. But it is God who preserves our lives. He protects us in 360 degrees over 24x7x365 days. The stronger our trust in God, the greater our security. The more we know of His Word and understand it as well as apply it in practical ways, the more we tend to lean on Him and trust Him. His Word is multi-purpose. It is a buckler and a shield, a weapon of attack as well as defence. It is the Word in us that makes us more than a conqueror. It helps us conquer our own inner mind and spirit, to make it subject to the Lord. The Word is a versatile weapon. But it needs to be always at hand. It will not act as either a double edged sword or a shield unless it is firmly grasped in our spiritual hands. It cannot be just placed for display on our walls or our tables. It has to be the operative Word, not the dormant.

Daniel Goleman who wrote the best selling book “Emotional Intelligence” said that EQ or emotional quotient requires people to have a constant inner dialogue with themselves. The Word in contrast enables us to have a constant inner dialogue with the Lord Himself. It is the bridge and the language of communication that connects the divine with the human soul. In this dialogue, the Lord tells us “ I Am is with you. Whom shall you fear? Is there anything or anyone greater, more powerful and more loving and gracious than Me?” Among the many fears that prey upon our vulnerable minds is the fear of death. But as we pray to the Lord, as we trust in Him, every fear including the fear of death will flee. As a child I used to say, “ What is the worst thing that can happen? I will die.” After tasting near death twice and after trusting in the Lord as a youth, I now only say to myself, “ No one can touch me without the Lord’s knowledge and permission. What or whom shall I fear?”

Prateep V Philip