God Shall Be With You

Day one hundred

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have this morning to stop and reflect on the previous week and prepare myself for the week ahead.  As much as I like conference I really miss taking the Sacrament on those weekends, there is something about dedicating that time to thinking about the Savior and my Father in Heaven that gives me direction for the rest of my week.  Listening to the words of the Sacrament prayer and choosing to take the bread and water are reminders of the amazing blessings of the Atonement that I have in my life. I prayed with gratitude for this chance to refocus my thoughts and efforts on the more sacred things and asked that I would have this same focus with me throughout this week. 

Genesis 48

There is a sweetness to this chapter that is so nice to read after all the wickedness in the Book of Genesis.  Jacob is nearing the time of his death and calls for Joseph to bring his two sons to his bedside so that he can bless them.  In verse 21 Jacob is talking to Joseph and he says something that really touched my heart.  He tells Joseph: "God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers." Jacob wants to leave his son with the knowledge that God will never forsake His people.  What a sweet promise Jacob leaves with Joseph.

We have that same sweet promise today:

"...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrew 13:5)

"... and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt 28:20)

"(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee..." (Deut 4:31)

"... for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you." (D&C 61:36)

Think about it, God can be with you all the time, watching over all you do. He is there to protect you, sustain you, encourage you, bless you and work through you.  I don't know why, but that thought really struck me today.  When I try to ponder the implications of God being with me in all these ways, I can't fully wrap my mind around it, it's too overwhelming (in a good way).  Maybe I'm not supposed to fully understand it yet, but it is a great way to start my Sabbath morning, with a reminder that God is always there for me!