Prepositional Phrases with Providential Promise
May 3, 2020
Not much about the eight parts of speech excites me as much as a good prepositional phrase! Remember the list of prepositions we memorized in grade school? Click here if you need to brush up on the 49 one-word prepositions: The Preposition Song
Simply put, a preposition is a word which shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and some other element in the rest of the sentence. For example, consider the underlined prepositional phrases in the following sentences.
- Please read the following verses IN THE BIBLE.
- The Bible is sitting ON THE TABLE.
These prepositional phrases tell us where the nouns, “verses” and “Bible”, can be found. The phrases are great connectors, and they clarify the meaning of the sentences.
I think God must have enjoyed prepositional phrases, too, given how many He used in His Word. When we consider the following verses, during this very challenging time in our history, we may clearly see how God connects our trials, fears, safety, and shelter to His Sovereignty. The verses also clarify that He will not necessarily keep us FROM TROUBLE (a prepositional phrase) but promises to be WITH US (another prepositional phrase) in all of our circumstances!
I hope you will be encouraged by this sampling of what I am referencing as Prepositional Promises! Who knew that grammar could bring us such joy and peace during a troubling time and while we wait for America to open up again?
Isaiah 40:31
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 41:10
10 fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 43:2
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
Psalm 23:4
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Psalm 34:4
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Psalm 46:1
46 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 91:1-4
91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
Psalm 91:15
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
Psalm 107:13
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
Psalm 119:114
114 You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
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I will end with this final verse, which is abundant with prepositional phrases, and even includes a complex preposition (“according to”). What a great hope we have in Jesus Christ! What a great hope to carry us through these unprecedented, challenging days!
1 Peter 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.