With you

Judges 6:12
And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour."

It is one thing to be mighty and the LORD not being with you; and another thing to have the LORD with you when you're not mighty. The latter will always succeed over the former.

When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, the first thing He said was " the LORD is with you". He proclaimed God's presence in Gideon's life before even prophesying over him.

The presence of the LORD in our lives is so important because without Him, we can do nothing. More so, the knowledge of His presence in our lives. God can be an very-present help in time of need but it will produce more results if you actually know that He is. Ignorance of the fact can produce statements like " Why me Lord? Why I am going through this? Where are you?"

When we are aware of God's presence in our lives, sorting out the nitty gritty, we are bound to be more confident, have more hope and certainty in time of need. So here the angel first proclaims the LORD'S presence then goes on to tell Gideon who He is in the LORD'S eyes.

Jesus Christ is with us. Emmanuel. He is our very present help in time of need. We can look to Him when we are met with fear, sorrow and impossibilities. He is the bronze serpent. When we realise He is in our midst and focus on Him, while others die because of snake bites- the anxieties, problems of life, we live because we focus on Him. And by doing that He saves us.

So today, more than ever,the first thing you need to know, to realise, to be aware of, to be conscious about, is that the LORD is with you-you the individual. This should help you focus and overcome. You have Him all the time. And He is with you, in His fullness.