This is a first for me, a word for the year, something to contemplate and focus on. I asked the Lord about it and this is what came to me . . . with.

With? My first thought was the name given to Jesus. Matthew 1:23 refers to the prophecy from Isaiah. “’The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’” God came to earth to be with us.

As an additional picture in your mind, note how ‘with’ is depicted in sign language. Hands together, side-by-side.

After Jesus’s death and resurrection, He promised that His Holy Spirit would come to live in believers, thus God with us.

My problem is I forget God is with me. I act like He is nowhere around. This year I want to keep in mind that God is really with me, literally!

That means there is nothing I have to face on my own. David wrote this word of encouragement, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8). God will be with me every moment of this year.

The other half of the equation is that I choose to be with Him. I want to walk with the Lord daily, like Adam did at first in the garden, doing life together with Him. I don’t want to hide from Him or run from Him.

In the gospels, Jesus called His disciples to follow Him. That means I allow Him to lead and He helps me stay on the right path. Even when I rebel and go off track, I can be assured that God is still with me . . .

Which brings us back to where we started . . . God is with us!

Be blessed as you go with God!