He Is There نموونە

To the Very End of the Age

Has it ever happened to you that when you were in the middle of a challenge or a problem you were going through, someone said to you: "I'm going to pray for you"? What was the first thing that came to your mind? Did you perhaps think that the person was saying it just to make you feel good, but wouldn't actually do it?

Or maybe it was the other way around, someone opened their heart to you and you replied with the first Christian response that came to your mind: "I'm going to pray for you." But deep down inside, you knew you wouldn't do it. 

I've had both things happen to me, so I try to be very intentional when someone shares their challenges with me, and right at that moment, I pray with them. I do this because I consider it to be a privilege and I want to be responsible with the people that come to me and open their hearts and ask for prayer.  

In Matthew 28:20, we read that Jesus told his disciples that He would be with them to the very end of the age. How does this phrase make you feel? Do you relate it to the words of those people who say they will pray for you, but probably won't do it?

It may cause you to wonder if Jesus would really be with you forever, or if He only said that to encourage his disciples at that particular moment.

Perhaps you think that Jesus didn't actually mean to say what He said, but that He was speaking more metaphorically than literally. And that's how you end up remembering all those times when you felt like He was not there with you and you conclude that Jesus' promises are nothing but empty words.

You might believe that the promise of His presence with us at all times in our lives is false, but it isn't. Jesus' commitment to be with us to the very end of the age means just that: He will be with us always. Because Jesus' words are aligned with God's heart towards us.

If God gave His life to save you, why should you think that He will abandon you now? His love is everlasting and His faithfulness endures forever. He is with you to the very end of the age.

Prayer: Lord, I ask you to help my heart to trust Your words. Don't allow my experiences determine my faith, but lift my faith to the level of Your promises. Help me to walk in confidence, knowing that You are by my side to the very end of the age. Amen.