Cling to the Lord

Daily Devotional – Monday, October 11, 2023
…that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers…
Deuteronomy 30:20 (NKJV)

According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries, the word ‘cling’ means “to hold on tightly to somebody or something.” For example, “survivors clinging to a raft.” This definition raises the likelihood of danger or risk, with the affected person resorting to holding a stronger power tightly for safety.

Tighten Your Grip on God

We find a similar scenario in the closing days of Moses’ life and ministry. This leader loves His people despite their obstinacy. He also knows that their prosperity, peace, and longevity in the Promised Land will depend on how faithful and obedient they are to God. To forestall apostasy and rebellion, therefore, Moses presents a working formula.

He counsels the Israelites, “That you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” (Deuteronomy 30:20).

Stick Close to the Lord

For the Children of Jacob to live long and productively in the Land of Canaan, they must love and obey God while clinging to Him for dear life. Their existence in the Promised Land depended on their fidelity to God and His laws. They would expect God’s favours to the extent that they obeyed Him.

The same principle applies to us because we serve the same God. The devil, like the warring heathen nations that Israel would later find in Canaan, is determined to steal our happiness. His greatest desire is to separate us from God by making us sin. If he succeeds, we are fair game to Him. He will ensure we live in misery for the short duration we shall be on earth and that we lose eternal life.

Cling to God

Unless you cling to God for dear life, you risk drifting away from God and losing your life now and in eternity. The moment you realize how vulnerable you are to wandering from God, “your life and the length of your days”, you will not allow anyone to separate you from Him. Whatever your situation, hold on to God, because that is your unshakeable insurance now and in eternity.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, I will cling to You because You are my life and the length of my days.