Job 9:11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.

Job is responding to the statements made by Bildad. In this passage, Job is talking about how we do not see God like we see other humans. Our relationship with God is different and always will be different then it is with others around us.

If a mother is seeking her son, the mother usually knows all of her son’s favorite hiding spaces. The son will not be able to hide for too long before the mother finds that which she is looking for.

If the same mother desires to see God, she will not see God like Moses saw God by looking under the bed. If the mother desires to see God as Abraham saw God, she should not be looking in the garage. If the mother desires to see God as Jacob saw God, looking in the backyard will probably not help.

Job understands that seeing God is not like seeing your spouse or your best friend. Instead, seeing God is dependent upon God’s desire to making HIMSELF real to you. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. You must remember that God made this world and he daily had fellowship with Adam and Eve. During the time of Abraham, he walked down the road to pass the tent of Abraham. Had Abraham not stopped and offered his hospitality, God probably would have continued along HIS way and never stopped.

In the book of Hebrews, we are admonished to “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2. Who knows, but you may have actually seen an angel or even better, you may have seen God and never knew it.

When the enemies of the nation of Israel came to capture Elisha, Elisha’s servant saw the enemy and was terrified. Elisha however understood that greater was HE that was with him then those who were of this world. Elisha prayed and asked God to open the eyes of his servant and the servant saw the hosts of the Lord surrounding the enemy. There was no way that the enemy was going to touch Elisha without God’s permission.

As Job tells us in this passage, God can walk right by you and you will not see HIM. God can pass you on a busy street and you may never perceive that you were that close to the presence of God. How many times did God or HIS angels direct your steps in such a way that you missed a major calamity? God is watching out for us and HE is directing, protecting, and providing for you in ways that you never imagined.

You may not be able to see God, but HE does see you. You may not know when God has been around you, but HE does know your deepest secrets. You may live your entire life never realizing all the times that the presence of God or HIS angels was within a few feet of you; however, that does not mean that God was not with you.

You will never understand God. Nonetheless, if you take the time to draw closer to God and develop a close relationship with HIM, you have a much better chance to seeing the presence of God in your life. Be patient with God and daily spend the time drawing closer to HIM. Seek HIM and while you may not see God, you will learn to recognize HIS hand upon your life. Maybe today the Lord will pass you by.

Acts 27:24 Saying, Fear not, Paul: thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Why is it that we have some super hero mentality about the men and women of the Bible? Why is it that we believe they had some sort of super human strength that enables them to have complete trust in the Lord? The men and the women of the Bible are just like us, they had their strengths and they had their weaknesses.

God may have told Paul that he was going to preach in Rome, but God had to send another angel to tell Paul that he was going to stand before Caesar. Put yourself in Paul’s shoes. It had been over two years since God had first told him that he was going to preach in Rome. Now Paul found himself in the midst of a huge storm with really very little hope for survival.

Paul must have been discouraged. Paul desired to obey God, but Paul could not see how in his own strength he could ever get to Rome. God sent another angel to speak to Paul and to encourage him that what God had promised, God would fulfill.

It had been 14 days since Paul and the rest of the individuals on the ship had eaten. Paul now had reassurance from God and he now was able to encourage everyone else to eat. God speaking to Paul gave him the encouragement that he needed to live his life the way God desired him to live.

When we think of faith, we often think of Abraham as the father of our faith. God promised Abraham a son and God fulfilled that promise. What we often forget is that there is 25 years between the initial promise and the fulfillment of that promise. What we often forget is that there were at least six times that God reminded Abraham of the promise that HE had given unto him.

We will often go through difficult times on this earth before God gives us the fulfillment of HIS vision for our life. When we get discouraged about why we are not seeing the fulfillment of HIS promises, we must understand that many of the great saints of the Bible had to be patient just like we have to be patient today. Just because it is only a couple pages in your Bible between the promise and the fulfillment, it does not mean that the 25 years Abraham had to wait or the 2 plus years Paul had to wait was easy on those men.

God has promised us that HE is with us and that HE will not forsake us. What God has promised unto us, that God will fulfill. When we become discourage because God is not fulfilling HIS promises to us in the way that we think HE should, we must understand that God is bigger than us. We must learn to trust in HIM and allow HIM to direct our paths.

The times of waiting are never easy. There will be times when the storms blow so strong in our lives that we will naturally doubt the promises of God. It is during these times that we need to cry out to God for strength. We need to ask God to comfort us and encourage us so that do not sin and fall short of the glory of God.

Abraham sinned when he tried to fulfill God’s promise in his own strength. How easy do you think it will be for us to sin and try to fulfill God’s promise in our own strength? When God is not fulfilling HIS promise in the way that we think HE should, we are vulnerable to attacks from the enemy and it is during times like this that we should go back to the promises of God and lean on them for they what we need to patiently wait through the storms of life.

Acts 12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

Peter was in prison about to face his death as a result of his boldly proclaiming the name of Christ. However, while Peter was in prison, his fellow believers prayed that God would deliver him. It was during the night that an angel of the Lord said to Peter that he was to rise up and follow the angel.

Peter thought he was having a vision. The last time Peter had a vision, we see that he argued with God. Ultimately, Peter obeyed God and went and preached to the gentiles. Peter thought he was seeing another vision, but this time he instantly obeyed.
Of course Peter would obey, if he did not obey, he was doomed to face certain death. It is logical for Peter to flee a place that was about to destroy him.

How many of you are entrapped by the sins of this world, yet you do not take the way of escape that God has for you? Instead of accepting the deliverance of God from your temptation, you are so comfortable in your sins that you have come up with excuses as to why what you are doing is not a sin.

Sin is like the prison that Peter found himself in; sin is preventing you from doing the perfect will of God. Just as God desired to free Peter from the trap that would deprive him of his life; so likewise, God desires to deliver you from bondage that your sin has ensnared you with. God provided Peter with a way of escape, but Peter first had to obey and follow the direction of the angel. So likewise, you can start the process of being free from your sins if you will simply start obeying the voice of God.

Bondage to the things of this world comes in many forms. Some people lust after power while others lust after people. Some people desire money while others desire food. Some people waste their time on entertainment while others waste their time sleeping.

Satan knows your weakness and he will be sure to bring certain temptations into your life so that you choose to remain in bondage instead of choosing to be free to do the perfect will of God. You must learn to say no to the things of this world. Every day you need to add temperance to your life so that you do not remain in bondage while God desires for you to be free.

Christ taught us in the Sermon the Mount how to pray. One of the aspects of your prayers needs to be a daily asking of the Lord to deliver you from temptation. You need to understand the spiritual death that you surround yourself with when you choose to do that which is right in your own eyes. Christ taught us to ask and we shall receive. You should daily be asking the Lord to give you the strength to overcome the temptations that you face so that you might be free to pursue the perfect will of God.

Just as it would be foolish for Peter to refuse to obey the angel that was trying to deliver him from certain death, so likewise you are foolish every time you fail to follow the direction of God when it comes to your deliverance from the things of this world. It is time for you to stop loving your own bondage so much that you refuse to escape the destructive impulses your sin. It is time to forsake the things of this world so that you can focus upon the things of God.

Acts 6:15 And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

Stephen was on trial for his life, but when those who sat in judgment of him looked upon him, they saw the face of an angel. What does it mean that they saw the face of an angel? Most likely it means that the light of God was shining so brightly through Stephen that people knew that there was something different about him.

Stephen had made many choices to serve God. The more he chose to do that which is right in the eyes of God, the more God was able to use the life of Stephen for HIS glory. When people looked at Stephen they knew that God was pleased with Stephen.

Why should the light of God brightly reflect through you if you are doing that which is right in your own eyes? If you are making your own rules, why should you expect others to see your life and desire to have what you have? It is only when you are choosing to do that which is right in the eyes of God that God can take the testimony of your life and cause people to desire what you have.

Angels were messengers from God, used to help direct others in the way that they were to go. Angels are heavenly beings which were often quickly recognized as something that was so different, people naturally feared the angel.

When those who sat in judgment of Stephen realized that God was touching the life of Stephen, they had two choices, either they could change their ways or they needed to rid themselves of the presence of the one who was convicting them of their sin. Stephen did not have to tell them that they did not have a right relationship with God, their conscience and seeing Stephen was all they needed to know that something needed to change.

Your life may be the only example of true Christianity that many people will see. If you are living your life according to your own standards, why should your life make an eternal impact upon this world? You must yield your desire to do what you want when you want so that you can fulfill the perfect will of God. Then you will learn the true power of life as Stephen did.

You will not be great in the eyes of God if you continue to make soft choices and indulge yourself with the pleasures of this world. Every day you must add temperance to your life by refusing to allow the things of this world to control you. Every time you refuse to yield to the pleasures of this world and instead chose to put the things of God first, your relationship with God grows. The closer you are to God, the more the light of God will reflect through your life.

You can never be all that you can be for God until you stop allowing the things of this world to control you. Temperance is an important aspect of the life of a Christian who desires to grow in their relationship with God. Until a Christian learns to demonstrate self-control to the lusts of the flesh, he will never experience the full power as Stephen demonstrated in this passage.

The choice is yours, you can either yield the lusts of the flesh or you can demonstrate temperance and see the power of God in your life. The power of God that Stephen experienced did not come from making many soft choices to look out for himself, the power of God came when Stephen chose to do what was right in the eyes of God.

Acts 25:3 And desired favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

Festus came to Jerusalem and the high priest and the chief of the Jews came to him and asked Festus to do a favor for them. They requested that Festus request that Paul be brought to Jerusalem to be tried there. The Jews knew that Festus was the next level of authority and that he should hear the case of Paul.

The Jews knew that they could not kill Paul as long as he was in prison. However, if the Romans were careless when they transported him to Jerusalem, then Paul would be killed and he no longer would be a bother to them. They hoped that by making a request that the trial be held in Jerusalem rather than Caesarea, that Festus would accept so as to cut down on the amount of travel that he needed to do.

Despite the well thought out plan, God foiled the plans of those who desired to harm HIS servant. The Jews had a plan that they thought would rid them of their number one enemy, but God ensured that their plan would not work. Their plan did not work because Festus chose to go to Caesarea and stand in judgment of Paul there.

Festus was not a man that feared the Lord. Nonetheless, God used Festus to protect Paul from the plans of the wicked. God had promised Paul that he would preach in Rome, and thus, it was not time for Paul to die. The enemy could have desired to kill Paul, but Paul was protected as long as he was pursuing the perfect will of God. Paul may have been in prison, but that did not stop God from continuing to guide and direct the steps of Paul. Paul may not have realized that there was a plan to kill him, but God did, and God directed the steps of Paul.

An angel of the Lord came to Mary and Joseph to show them what they were to do about their marriage and the birth of Jesus. An angel came and told Manoah and his wife that they were going to have a son and how they were to raise Samson. An angel came to Elijah and gave him food to eat and commanded him to eat because the journey that Elijah was about to take was to great for Elijah. These stories illustrate how God can use supernatural events to direct the steps of his people. However, God does not always use supernatural events.

When God desired Jacob to return to the Promised Land, God simply allowed Jacob to hear the sons of Laban talking about how they had no inheritance because Jacob had it all. When God was ready to use Joseph in Egypt, HE reminded the chief butler of the fact that Joseph had interpreted his dream. The chief butler could have remembered at any time, but God waited for the right time to remind the butler of Joseph. Two of the disciples of Christ chose to go to Emmaus after the death of Christ. Little did they know that because of that decision, they were going to enjoy fellowship and later dinner with the One whom they chose to serve.

God may chose to lead you by a pillar of fire, but HE also may chose to lead you by HIS still small voice. It is nice when God boldly proclaims HIS will for you in a way that everyone around you knows the direction God has for you. However, the still small voice of God can be deafening if you have trained yourself to hear God. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the easier it will be for you to be directed by God. When you place your life in the hands of God, God will be able to direct your steps by whatever means HE chooses to use.

Acts 5:19 – 20 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

The religious leaders had arrested Peter and the other apostles for preaching the name of Christ. While the apostles were in prison, God sent an angel which miraculously released them from prison. The angel released them in such a way that when the religious leaders sent for them the next day, all the prison doors were still locked and the guards were diligently guarding all the gates to ensure that the apostles did not escape.

The angel did not help the apostles escape and then send them on their own way. At the time of the escape, the angel gave the apostle clear direction regarding the will of God. God did not want the apostles to run; HE desired them to go right back and do that which put them in prison to begin with. Early the next morning the apostles obeyed God and they were found preaching the gospel of Christ. The apostles understood that God desired them to be in the temple preaching, and they did not waste any time in being in the place God requested that they be.

God had a plan for the apostles and HE sent an angel to rescue them from their trials. However, just because God had rescued them from their trials, did not mean that HE desired them to run and hide. Our natural response when we face persecution is to avoid it. However, it was the will of God for the apostles to be bold and to keep doing that which the religious leaders wished that they would stop doing. God was demonstrating to the religious leaders that HE was more powerful than they were. God was showing the religious leaders that the apostles answered directly to HIM. God did not enable the apostles to escape so their lives were spared; God enabled the apostles to escape so that HIS name was glorified.

God has a purpose for everything. God desires to show HIMSELF strong in the lives of those who have perfect trust in HIM. However, God is not just a God who delivers you from trouble when you suffer for righteousness sakes; God also desires to direct you in the way you are to go. The ways of God are not always your ways and as such, you need to be willing to listen to HIM and obey HIS direction.

When God directed the nation of Israel, HE directed them out into the wilderness. The natural response of the nation would have been to go directly to Israel, but God had some lessons HE desired they learn and HE desired to give them the law. God also directed Abraham to sacrifice the promised child, Isaac. Abraham knew that sacrificing Isaac would not be something HE naturally would do, but he trusted God and told Isaac that God would provide the sacrifice.

In Psalm 23, David reminds us that God is with us even in the valley of the shadow of death. As a believer, there are going to be some very dark days. However, God is with us. God will not forsake you. All things work together for good for those who are called according to HIS purposes. If you are a child of the King, then regardless where God directs your steps, you must be ready and willing to follow so that God will be magnified through your life.

The knowledge of the ways of God for your life is available. God will not hide HIS direction from you if you are willing to hear HIS will and obey. God desires to be glorified through your life and that means that HE may need you to do things that are against your nature. Will you obey? Are you willing to go into the den of lions in order to do the will of God?

Matthew 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

On the third day after the death of Jesus, Mary of Magdalene and the other Mary came to see Jesus’ body. When they reached the tomb, they found that the stone was rolled away and an angel of the Lord sitting upon the stone. This angel’s countenance caused the keepers to become like dead men but to the two women, they were able to receive instruction as to what they were to do.

These women had gone through a terrible experience in watching the death of their Lord. Yet nonetheless, this did not stop them from seeking Jesus. Any of the disciples could have gone to seek Jesus that morning but it was these women who decided to leave their place of hiding in order to seek that which they needed.

Because these two women were willing to leave their place of comfort in order to seek Jesus, they received instructions from the angel as to what they were to do next. These women had the joy of receiving clear direction for their lives and to hear the good news first that Christ was raised from the dead all because they allowed their desire to seek God to be greater than their desire for personal safety.

Not only did these women receive instruction from the angel to go tell the disciples that Jesus was raised from the dead, Jesus actually made an appearance to these women as they obeyed the angel’s instruction. These women sought Jesus and instead they received instruction as to what they were to do next. In obeying those instructions, they received what they initially were looking for. Rather than finding a dead body in a tomb, these women found a risen Savior who spoke with them and gave them comfort.

It does not matter what trials you face. It does not matter how strong the storms of life are blowing. You must follow the example of these women and continue to seek the Lord. Seeking the Lord will not always be easy. In fact, sometimes it may seem counterintuitive. When you seek the Lord, God can give you direction for your life. When you seek the Lord, God will reveal HIMSELF to you. God may not always reveal HIMSELF to you as you might expect, but if you are faithful to seek HIM, HE will give you the desires of your heart by making HIS presence known unto you.

You are a Christian and have a personal relationship with God. There will be times during your Christian walk that you will feel like you are in the valley of the shadow of death. You will feel alone; you will feel deserted. However, regardless of how you feel, you must never forget the God whom you have chosen to serve. Rather than allow yourself to sulk and dwell in your own self-pity, you must be proactive and you must learn to seek God during the difficult times.

If you fill your mind with the things of this world, when trial arise in your life, you will be consumed of yourself and you will not seek God as you should. If you fill your mind with the things of God by adding virtue to your life, you know that greater is HE that is in you than he that is of this world. The virtue that fills your mind will give you the strength to seek God during the storm and will see you through the storm to God’s perfect will.

Judges 6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! For because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.

Gideon was a humble man. When the angel of the Lord first came to him and gave him the command from the Lord regarding his delivering Israel, Gideon attempted to explain his family’s position in Israel and his position within his family. Gideon was not use to being a leader, he was used to doing what everyone else told him to do. The Lord must have seen the humility and obedience of Gideon and knew that this would be a man who would obey HIM and would do those things to rid the nation of the Midianites.

When the angel first appeared, one of the first things Gideon asked was where were the miracles of God that indicate God is with the nation. Gideon had heard of God’s miracles and he had a hard time seeing that God was with the nation absent the outward manifestation of miracles. This is probably one reason why Gideon required so many miracles from God. Gideon was humble and he was not going to go out and make himself a leader unless God really called him and God was with him. Gideon understood the presence of the Lord with miracles, and as such, he had the faith to ask God to perform miracles in his life so that he knew God was with him. Seeing miracles from God gave him the confidence to tell others who were in a higher station in life what the Lord had told him to do.

Gideon heard specifically from the angel of the Lord what God desired him to do. Gideon did not laugh at the commandment of the Lord, but he simply asked that the Lord prove his presences. Gideon left the angel and went and prepared a kid, unleavened cakes and broth. Gideon prepared this meal during a time when the nation greatly impoverished and food was scarce. Gideon offered what he had, and the Lord used his offering to speak Gideon’s language to reveal to him that HE was with him.

God understood that Gideon had learned that the presence of the Lord was associated with miracles. As such, God spoke Gideon’s language and showed him many miracles so that Gideon would believe and follow the Lord. God created you and HE knows exactly what you need. HE knows how HE needs to communicate to you so that you hear HIS voice. God does not come to you speaking a language that you will not understand.

When the Lord speaks to you and gives you specific instructions, you need to obey like Gideon obeyed. However, because of the nature of hearing the Lord speak can so easily puff one up, one must be cautious like Gideon and ensure that God is really speaking to you and that Satan is not playing to your ego. If you are truly hearing the Lord’s voice, then you can proceed in confidence and joy that God is with you and that HE is going to do great things through you. However, if you discover that what you thought you heard was not from the Lord, you saved yourself the painful experience of living for yourself.

Gideon understood how he expected to hear from God, so he asked for a sign and went and prepared a meal so that he could see a sign. You need to learn to hear God and to understand how God speaks to you. You must daily take the time to seek HIS face if you desire to be used of HIM. By faith you will learn to hear God’s voice and you will watch God do many mighty things through you.