With you always
“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”Matthew 28:20
Reflection
These are the last words of Jesus before He ascended to heaven — and there is a special weight to someone’s final words. Of all Jesus could have left as a farewell, He chose a promise of PRESENCE: "lo, I am with you alway". He had just sent the disciples on an enormous, frightening mission — to make disciples of all nations. But He did not send them alone. Before departing physically, He guaranteed that, in another way, He would never leave: "I am with you". The mission was great, but the company was greater.
Notice the scope of the promise: "ALWAY" (every day). Not "on the good days", not "when you deserve it", not "in the moments of strong faith" — every day. This includes the days of victory and the days of defeat, the days of faith and the days of doubt, the days you feel Him near and the days He seems distant. Jesus’ presence is not intermittent, coming and going according to your performance. It is constant, uninterrupted, covering every day of your life — including today, including the days you least feel it. The feeling of the presence may fluctuate; the reality of it does not.
Note that this promise was given together with the greatest task (the Great Commission), and that is no coincidence. Jesus does not promise His presence for a life of comfort and inertia, but for a life of purpose and obedience. It is on the road of the mission — loving, serving, testifying, obeying — that Jesus’ presence is experienced most really. We often want to feel God’s presence while standing still; but it is frequently in taking the step of obedience that we discover He was with us the whole time, walking alongside.
And see the temporal reach: "even unto the end of the world". The promise has no expiration date; it extends to the end of everything. Jesus will be with His own until the last day of history, and afterward for eternity. This means there is no point in your future — however distant or uncertain — where you will be beyond the reach of His presence. Whatever day comes, He has already guaranteed to be there. If today you feel alone before a great task, an uncertain road, a hard day, hear Jesus’ last words as if spoken directly to you: "I am with you. Every day. Until the end." You have never taken, nor will take, a single step alone.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You for the promise You left as a farewell: "I am with you alway". On the good days and the bad, on the days of strong faith and of doubt, You are with me — even when I do not feel it. Help me experience Your presence on the road of obedience. And when the future frightens me, remind me: there is no day where I will be beyond Your reach. Amen.
Put it into practice
Begin today by declaring Jesus’ promise over it: "today, You are with me" — especially if it is a hard day or a task that frightens you. And take a step of obedience (serving, testifying, loving), trusting that it is on the road that His presence becomes real.
To reflect on
Have you conditioned Jesus’ presence on your "good days" — when He promised to be with you EVERY day, including the hard ones?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).