He goes before me

When we were children, we played “follow the leader” — a game that few play these days. People complain that there are few leaders worth following, but human nature tends to resist words like yield, submission and accountability. We prefer to go our own way.

After the trials of the past couple of weeks, I’m appreciating these words about following my leader more than I used to. This bout of feeling helpless, without strength or direction, gives me a strong desire to take the hand of God and go where He wants me to go.

Today, Spurgeon’s devotional is about the leadership of Christ, not so much that He is capable of leading (which He is), but that no matter what I experience, He has been there and has conquered all threats. He truly paves the way.

He who opens the breach goes up before them; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the LORD at their head. (Micah 2:13)

Spurgeon uses this verse as inspiration to say that because Jesus has gone before us, things are not the same as they would have been had He never passed that way. He has conquered every enemy and obstruction that rose before Him.

For that reason, I’ve no reason to be fainthearted. He has traveled the same road and dealt with all that threatens me, opening a safe passage. As Spurgeon says, I’ve no need to fear the power of sin for Jesus has nailed it to His cross. I have no need to fear death for He died and rose again. He gives me the same life, His life, that conquered the grave and rose to live forever. I need not fear Satan, for his destiny is certain and he also has been defeated.

Spurgeon uses poetic words to say that whatever foes may be before any Christian, they are all overcome. “There are lions, but their teeth are broken; there are serpents, but their fangs are extracted; there are rivers, but they are bridged or fordable; there are flames, but we wear that matchless garment which renders us invulnerable to fire. The sword that has been forged against us is already blunted; the instruments of war which the enemy is preparing have already lost their point.”

Christ has taken away all the power that anything can have or use to hurt me. I can safely move ahead, even joyously go along my journey because all my enemies are conquered beforehand and my Savior is leading me forward.

 “Proclaim aloud the Savior’s fame,
Who bears the Breaker’s wond’rous name;
Sweet name; and it becomes him well,
Who breaks down earth, sin, death, and hell.”

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Father, I thank You for the power of Jesus Christ who goes before me. Nothing can defeat Him.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37–39)

I also thank You for the total reliability of Your love, for nothing can separate me from it either.