Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
INSIGHT
-God goes before us to assure us of His enduring presence. We find Moses encouraging Joshua in the presence of all the people, on the strength of the promise of God in Deuteronomy 1:38 and Numbers 27:18. Jacob also encountered God and His presence at Peniel, where he said “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30). This was a time when Jacob on his way to meet Esau was anxious, dreadful and thinking that Esau was going to kill him as he had vowed in Genesis 27:41. Jacob had cheated Esau out of receiving his father’s blessing and took his birth right. Now, over two decades had passed, but Jacob was still fearful when he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men (Genesis 32:6). Jacob started sending gifts on ahead of him to meet Esau first in hope of winning over his heart. The Lord went ahead of him and he obtained favor and grace before his brother Esau. May the Lord go ahead of you in this entire year to grant you favor and grace before God and men.
PRAYER
We give thanks to You Lord for enabling us to see this new year filled with Your grace and favor. Thank You for Your blessings upon our lives. We give thanks to You Lord, with all our heart and tell of all Your wonderful deeds. You are the Rock of our salvation, we exult You Lord and praise You Jehovah. You are our great God and worthy is Your name. You are our loving Father and the great King above all gods. We exult You and worship You Lord. We pray that You may go ahead of us this entire year to grant us favor and grace before You Lord and men. May You blessings and peace overflow in our hearts, families, society and nation, and make us prosperous in all our ways. All glory, honor and blessings belong to You Lord, now and forevermore. Amen
Further reading: Hebrew 13:5-6
Exodus 13:21-22 NKJV
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”
INSIGHT
-The Lord goes before us to offer guidance in every facet of our lives as our good Shepherd. He guides us during the day and guards us in the night when we sleep. Psalms 23:4 reveals that the Lord comforts us with His rod and staff, and even when we walk through the darkest valley, we should fear no evil for He is always with us. Jesus is the light of the world, whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). We are all called to put all our trust in Jesus Christ who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus we thank You for loving us with Your sacrificial kind of love, that You died on the cross for the sake of all mankind. We humbly beseech You to forgive us all our sins and trespasses, and wash us with Your precious blood. We thank You Abba Father for the victory that we have bestowed unto us through Your Son Jesus Christ. We thank You for protecting us during the day and in the night when we cannot see. Thank You for sending Your angels to guard us in the night and in our way lest we dash our feet against a stone. We humbly ask You to guide us during the day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give us light. May Your light shine in us and through us so that people may see us and glorify You Lord Almighty. May You keep our lamps burning precious Holy Spirit and turn our darkness into light.
Further reading: Psalm 136:16, Matthew 5:16
Isaiah 45:2-3 NKJV
“‘I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.”
INSIGHT
-The Lord goes before us to remove all obstructions, and to prepare the way for us. To break into pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron. To protect us from all those who oppose us, and carry us through the greatest difficulties. To level all the hilly places, and remove all impediments and obstructions out of our way, and give us treasures in hidden places. The Lord has promised in Deuteronomy 1:30 that He will go before us, and fight for us, according to all He did for the Israelites in Egypt.
PRAYER
We thank You Jehovah for You are God and worthy of all our praise. Your name LORD is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and they are safe. LORD God You are a warrior; the LORD is Your name. May You carry us as a man carries his son in all the way that we should go. May You go before us and fight for us in all our battles, dangers and difficulties. May You make all the crooked paths straight and break the gates of bronze. May You cut the bars of iron and level all the mountains ahead of us this year for Your namesake. May You give us the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, LORD God our Father and King. LORD of hosts is Your name. You are Holy and Holy is Your name. You are Holy Lord may You make us holy and sanctify us with Your precious blood. May You secure us in Your arms and grant us Your peace that surpasses all human understanding. In Jesus mighty name we pray believing and trusting. Amen
Further reading: Psalm 18:32-50
Psalm 139:5
You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head (NLT)
INSIGHT
-The Lord goes before us and blesses us. God places His hand upon heads and anoints us with fresh oil. It is this anointing that one becomes great in the land and in the kingdom of God. We have seen great men and women throughout the Bible and during our days, perform great works in their areas of influence by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord also goes before us and crowns the year with His bounty, and our carts overflow with abundance (Psalm 65:11). Therefore we say that, the blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).
PRAYER
We thank You LORD and bless Your holy name. We honor You and exalt You for there is none like You. You are highly lifted up above everything and everyone. Oh Lord, we humbly implore You to crown this year with Your bounty that our carts may overflow with abundance. May You bless us and increase us in every area of our lives. May You anoint us afresh by the power of the Holy Ghost that we may be strong and do exploits for the glory and honor of Your name. Father we pray that You may bless our going and coming this year. We commit our nation unto You that You shall bless this nation this year with good economy, security, good governance and leadership and all good things that You have planned for our nation. We speak Your protection upon us this year, Your blessing of good health and life in abundance, as well as Your provision. Dear Lord we thank You for Your faithfulness for we believe that You are able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask of or think of, and therefore we shall not fail to put our faith in You Thank You for all You have done for us and for what You are about to do. We surrender all to You. We thank You and honor You. We pray all this believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, Amen.
Further reading: Psalm 29:11, Romans 10:12
Psalms 23:1-6 NKJV
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
INSIGHT
-The picture of God as Shepherd is fulfilled and completed in the Person and work of Jesus Christ who is presented as the redeeming Good Shepherd (John 10:1), the resurrected Great Shepherd (Hebrew 13:20), and the returning Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). By Christ going before us, we obtain His multifaceted grace of His death, resurrection, redemption, and have the sure hope of eternal life in Him.
SUMMARY
Christ going before us is a portrait of a shepherd leading his flock. The shepherd offers direction, protection, guidance to the pasture, preservation and carrying of the fragile sheep, and nursing the injured flock. The sheep are guided by the shepherd through the voice and they follow through. Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd. He goes before us to assure us of His enduring presence. God assures us of sure rest when His presence goes with us (Exodus 33:14-15). Secondly, God also guides and offers us protection during the day and covers us in the night when we sleep. Thirdly, God goes before us to remove all obstacles by breaking in pieces the gates of brass, cut in sunder the bars of iron, carry us through the level all the hilly places, and gives us hidden treasures in secret places. Fourthly, God goes before us and blesses us. He places His hand upon heads and anoints us with fresh oil so that we may effectively serve Him and fulfill the assignment He has called us to do, for the glory and honor of His name. We note that, God is glorified when we make progress in our lives, when we advance and maximize the potential within our destinies (John 15:8).
PRAYER
LORD You are our good Shepherd, we shall not want. You make us to lie down in green pastures; You lead us beside the still waters, You restores our souls. You lead us in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil; for You are with us; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort us. You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. You anoint our heads with oil; our cups runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in Your house forever. May You bless us and keep us Lord. May Your face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May You turn Your countenance towards us and give us peace. Come Holy Trinity one God, we welcome You into our hearts forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: John 10:27-28