To me perhaps the most thrilling words in the Bible are these words of Jesus: “I will be with you always’. Matthew 28:20. They have flashed through my mind thousands of times. They thrill me, inspire me, comfort me, strengthen me and send me forth into the world without fear. Jesus is with me always! Every moment! Every place! 24/7! Glory! If you take that knowledge away from me I could not have carried the cross through 50 nations at war, or carried the cross around the world facing so many dangers.
My dear mother who is now with Jesus would say to me when I went overseas, “Son, are you going way over there?’ I tell her “Yes, Jesus is there too!’ Distance is no problem. Language is no problem. The nation you live in is no problem. The Presence of God is just as real in India as it is in Peru. Life has uncertain times, moments when you are not sure what is happening or what the outcome may be. Things are out of your control. How comforting to ‘know’ that Jesus ‘is’ with you! Time after time the only person that knows where I am is God. No one else even knows the country I’m in or the exact place. God is present everywhere and I live and walk and move in the knowledge that Jesus is with me. God never sends you on a mission that He will not go with you. Many times people ask me why I use the word ‘we’ so much even when it is evident that no other person is with me. Well, I live in the knowledge that I am never alone: The Father is with me, Jesus is with me, the Holy Spirit is with me and the Holy Angels are present with me, so there is always a crowd!In the jungles or war or accidents or at the moment of death, one in Christ is never alone. Glory! My wife Denise is English, so of course she speaks with a British accent. When we were first married and came to America she found it difficult to understand my mother and my family’s accent there in Louisiana and Mississippi. The Southern accent has a drawl. Like, should a place be a long distance away in the South we say: “It’s a loooooooooooooong way!’ Or about a great meal: “Thhhhhhhhhhhsssssssss Gooooooooooooooood’. After several years, Denise said to me. “Arthur I think I understand Southern!’ “What do you mean’ I replied. You say a word and just hold it for a long time for emphasis. Well, friend I think the best way to understand the words of Jesus “I will be with you always’ is to think of Jesus speaking Southern! “ Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Willllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ‘BEEEEEEEEEEEEEE’ Wwwwwiiiitttttttthhhhh YYYYOOOOuuuuuu AAAAAAAAAAAAAA LLLLLLLLLL WWWWWWWWWWWWW AAAAAAAAAAAAAA YYYYYYYYYYYY SSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’ Glory! Now you get the point. ‘Jesus will be with you always’. Never fear, never alone, always in the eye of God and in the Palm of His Hand. Should you not know this assurance and comfort and knowledge I invite you to just now ask Jesus into your heart and life and ask Him to be your Savior and Lord. Should you know Jesus already then rest in His Presence. Just know you will never be alone. God is not stuck in church. You are not lost in the jungle. You are not alone on that bed of pain. You will not be alone in the valley of death. Thank you, Lord for your Word and Presence. Pilgrim followers of Jesus, Arthur and Denise Blessitt Luke 18:1
