Always

Prayers that don’t get past the ceiling. Answers that never come. Loneliness, heartache, fear. We have all had moments just like these.

In the past few days, I have had multiple people around me go through very trying circumstances. The other day in church the sermon spoke of prayer being a part of life, and then in Sunday School we talked about how we know that God is in our world. They may not seem to be connected, but they are.

These circumstances and questions all draw us in search of God. We question what He is doing, how He is going to move, and where He is. We can feel like we are on our own in this great big world, wishing for peace. Regardless of the length of time we have followed Christ, trying circumstances and unanswered questions can cause us to wonder where God really is in our world.

Have you been there? I have.

The Christian life is a journey. And in that journey, as close as we attempt to walk with our Savior, we can feel sometimes like we are walking alone. We read our Bible and nothing seems to just grab us; we look for answered prayer and cannot see it; we pray fervently and feel like we are talking to ourselves.

God knew we would have times just like that. As humans, living in a natural world, we have a hard time understanding the supernatural. God is bigger than we can imagine, the universe is far beyond our dreams, and there are battles around us that we never see. So in the midst of all this, how do we know that He is really there?

Well, as I told you, God knew we would have moments like this. Times when our feelings would try to creep in on our beliefs. If we can’t “feel” Him, how do we know He is there? Because He told us so.

Matthew 28:19-20 is what we call the Great Commission. It is a command that God gives – our job for life, but the end of it is where the jewel resides for today. Here is what it says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There it is – “and surely I am with always.” Always.

We could study this word in Scripture and find some really cool things. Most of the instances of this word are commands for us to “rejoice always” (Philippians 4:4), “keep this Book of the Law always on your lips” (Joshua 1:8), or “always be prepared to give an answer” (1 Peter 3:15), but Matthew 28:20 is different.

Matthew 28:20 is a promise. One I will cherish forever. The God of the universe is with me, always – not sometimes or periodically or randomly or whatever. He is with me always. He is with me on days when I cannot feel His presence, when grief overwhelms me, when joy abounds, when I am searching for direction. He is there in all of it.

Regardless of my feelings, regardless of my personal thoughts, truth remains. He is ALWAYS there.

So at the end of the day, the question becomes – do I believe Him? Do I really believe what He said? Am I going to trust His promise? No matter what you encounter today, truth remains. He is always there. Always.