The Omnipresent Says "Follow Me"

When Jesus chose His disciples, he said to them, “Follow me.”

• And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).
• But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead (Matthew 8:22).
• Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24. Also Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke 9:23.)
• And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him (Mark 2:14. Also Luke 5:27).
• The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me (John 1:43).

Jesus elaborates on His call:

• My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).
• If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour (John 12:26).
• Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. . . . This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me (John 13:36; 21:19).

Of course, we’re reminded that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that born-again Christians are His sheep. We follow the shepherd, and when we do, we are blessed. It’s a lovely picture!

One of God’s attributes is His omnipresence. This means He is everywhere all the time.

• Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me (Psalm 139:7-10).
• Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD (Jeremiah 23:23-24).
• But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? (1 Kings 8:27)

When we hear Jesus’ call, “Follow me,” we know that our answer depends on how much we actually trust Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 express this idea so well: Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. This complete trust in God is the ideal. We trust our Shepherd to lead us well. We don’t worry. We only follow Him.

I recently put two and two together. God leads us. We follow. And God is already there! In fact, He is everywhere, every step of the way!

Isn’t that the most awesome thought? The One Who asks us to trust and follow Him actually surrounds us as we obey! We're following, but we're also accompanied every single step. And where God has asked us to go, He's already arrived, and he's waiting for us. Yet, as we go, He's beside us--and in front of us, and behind us. 

What an encouragement!