I Am with You Always

From The God Who Heals: Words of Hope for a Time of Sickness

Remember, I am with you always. I am with you all the days. —Matthew 28:20

As time goes by you may become weak and discouraged by the fleeting nature of all that surrounds you. You may not know from one day to the next whether what is dearest to you will remain. It is then that God himself will step in. He is with you. “I am with you always!”

The presence of God is our faith. In it we must live. God is with us, he is close to us; we are never alone. Although your fate appears dark and troubled, even though you are hardly able to see ahead, nevertheless, you are not alone. The Savior has bound you to himself; something new will fill you. A power will come to you – a strength and a hope to triumph over every burden you have to bear.

Each one of us is in a struggle unto death, a painful fight. The question is, “How shall we bear it?” All of us are like a troubled world full of storms and attacks, of deep pain and death pangs. Many times we are hardly able to breathe. Yet rejoice! This daily fight is a daily victory. You will surely find yourself surrounded by great, powerful hosts, and the victory of your Savior will be revealed to you and all those around you.

“I am with you always.” Let this word be your strength and watchword! Always! Let the presence of God be alive in you. Rejoice! You are being allowed to experience the good news that God is with you. God is always present – the very power that can redeem all who are open to it.

“I am with you all the days.” Which days? We often feel so lonely. Our days get so dark that at times we cannot even think about God. We get discouraged by all the foolish things we have done. Yet even the darkest days are days God has given to you. Remember this. Every day that you have lived belongs to your days. All those years, those hours, those times you spent that seem wasted, all your experiences, all your joys, all that gives you courage for life, all that depresses you, saddens you – all this belongs to your days. But it is into these very days and hours that your dear Savior enters. If some of your days are soiled, he shall clean them. If they are dark, he shall shine his light on them so you may have joy again. In your happy days too, look, he is present. He stands by you every single day. Perhaps you haven’t noticed him, yet he has been and is with you through all your days. All your days are in his hand. Your future days too!

When you look back over your life, there may be things of which you are ashamed. Yet, surely Jesus was with you. He penetrates into all your days, even back to the first day of your life (Psalm 139). The redeeming Spirit of Jesus has always been at work in your life, even if much of it has been wrong. God has been with you. He reaches down into all your days! Your whole life has in some way or another been lit up by his presence.

Can you grasp that even now, in your poor, lowly body, you can experience the presence of the Savior? Wherever you are, whatever you can or cannot do, you can always represent the Savior. All your fighting and living, all your pain and your victories, can give witness to the Savior. When you receive comfort, the whole world is comforted. When your sins are forgiven, there is hope for the whole world. When you overcome the throes of sickness and death, then the Savior’s mercy extends out to many, many people. “Remember, I am with you always, I am with you all the days.” This is the gospel.

Somewhere in this world the darkness – the suffering, the chains and fetters that bind people – must be broken. Perhaps you have been chosen to be bound so that the fetters that bind so many other people may be broken. Maybe it’s your turn to be downcast. Remember, the comfort you receive can comfort others. Or maybe death is at your doorstep – even then the hope of resurrection can be revealed through you. In all this, God himself will come to you – Jesus will draw close to you quite personally. He has bound himself to you, come what may.

Therefore, do not be afraid! Whatever your struggle, and whatever you have to fight through now, even if it is very small, is important for eternity. Jesus’ power can work through you and flow out to others. Remain a willing servant. Then you will bear the stamp of his work.

All the long hours of waiting, all that weighs you down and torments you, all the dark powers you don’t understand but often sense, all the restlessness – all this will come to an end! Eternity will surely draw close to you. God himself will lift you out of all the chance happenings of time, all that is not from him, and into his very presence. Eternal powers of love will come very quietly, and when they do you will hardly be able to imagine how great these powers of God are. A new world will lie before your very eyes.