God for us is the first thing to get hold of. God is for His people all along the journey, and He is for each one of us. The weak, the young, the suffering, and the perplexed can say, God is for me. Weakness, ignorance, suffering, and every state in which one may find himself, is in itself a claim upon the living God. He is for me in that state. Then we have God with us, which is a step morally higher than God for us. All cause of fear is removed, all dread banished, as we realize that God is acting for us, and can and will dispose of difficulty and enemy as it pleases Him. But God with us is a mighty moral power. It controls and shapes the life, and directs in thought and action. What would be the influence on the life if a friend, in every respect superior to yourself, were continually at your side? Would it not impart a trustful confidence? Would there not be a constant reference to your friend? Would not his will dominate yours?
Then this naturally leads up to another thing, we with God, and we for God. We with Him gives the quiet, happy consciousness of communion. He with us controls all. We with Him is our joy and gladness. Is all this so? Then in all life act for Him. In all service; in all testimony; in all the multitudinous details of life we ought to be for Him- His interests our supreme care. To sum up, we have-
First, God for us-no fear.
Second, God with us-our practical safeguard.
Third, we with God-our communion.
Fourth, we for God-our life's object.