Following Hard
from "More Precious Than Silver" by Joni Eareckson
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. Psalm 63:8 (KJV)
You follow Christ, but do you follow hard after him? Another translation says, My soul follows close behind you. The soul that follows hard on the heels of God is childlike. I know that from experience. My parents were hikers who took us often on backpacking trips as the youngest, I learned that if I didnt keep up, if I didnt stick on the heels of my older sisters, Id get lost in the woods (or so I thought).
We need to be sort of followers who are constantly bumping into Gods back. We need a healthy dose of fear that, without him, wed be lost (and we would!). Dont fall behind. Dont think you can find your way. Dont run ahead and dont detour around. Just stay close behind the Lord where the trail is fresh. Psalm 16:11 says, You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
And how does our heavenly Father feel about us tagging along so closely? Delighted. Nothing could please him more than when we, his children, desire to stay close. Psalm 139:3 in The Living Bible says, You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.
What do you think it means to step on Gods heels? To pump your thinking, read Proverbs 3:5-6. Did you catch that phrase In all your ways acknowledge him...? To acknowledge means to follow hard after God: being instant in obedience, absolute in your trust, immediate in your prayers, and quick in your response to the Spirits proddings.
Would to God that we all would keep stepping on the heels of the Lord Jesus. Make it your goal today to follow hard after him. The steps of a man are established by the Lord... When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand (Psalm 37:23-24).
* * * * *
I desire to follow you. But today, I want to quicken my step and follow hard after you. Show me the path. Tell me where to stop and rest. Fill me with joy in your presence
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I just love that song "Where You Lead Me" in my previous post. That idea of my soul following hard after Jesus just stuck in my mind. Then I read the above devotion. Look at Psalm 63:8 - following hard is followed by being upheld by the Lord's right hand!
This is comforting - the Lord can lead & uphold us thru anything if we just 'follow hard' & stay close to Him.
from "More Precious Than Silver" by Joni Eareckson
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. Psalm 63:8 (KJV)
You follow Christ, but do you follow hard after him? Another translation says, My soul follows close behind you. The soul that follows hard on the heels of God is childlike. I know that from experience. My parents were hikers who took us often on backpacking trips as the youngest, I learned that if I didnt keep up, if I didnt stick on the heels of my older sisters, Id get lost in the woods (or so I thought).
We need to be sort of followers who are constantly bumping into Gods back. We need a healthy dose of fear that, without him, wed be lost (and we would!). Dont fall behind. Dont think you can find your way. Dont run ahead and dont detour around. Just stay close behind the Lord where the trail is fresh. Psalm 16:11 says, You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
And how does our heavenly Father feel about us tagging along so closely? Delighted. Nothing could please him more than when we, his children, desire to stay close. Psalm 139:3 in The Living Bible says, You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.
What do you think it means to step on Gods heels? To pump your thinking, read Proverbs 3:5-6. Did you catch that phrase In all your ways acknowledge him...? To acknowledge means to follow hard after God: being instant in obedience, absolute in your trust, immediate in your prayers, and quick in your response to the Spirits proddings.
Would to God that we all would keep stepping on the heels of the Lord Jesus. Make it your goal today to follow hard after him. The steps of a man are established by the Lord... When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand (Psalm 37:23-24).
* * * * *
I desire to follow you. But today, I want to quicken my step and follow hard after you. Show me the path. Tell me where to stop and rest. Fill me with joy in your presence
*********
I just love that song "Where You Lead Me" in my previous post. That idea of my soul following hard after Jesus just stuck in my mind. Then I read the above devotion. Look at Psalm 63:8 - following hard is followed by being upheld by the Lord's right hand!
This is comforting - the Lord can lead & uphold us thru anything if we just 'follow hard' & stay close to Him.
