December 22
An Enduring Presence
"..and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
I’ve often said that if there was a T-Shirt that read: "Life is hard and then you die", that it could most likely become a number one seller! Why? Because life is hard! Living in the world is challenging, and at times cold and callous, and it seems that it intends to leave no survivors in its path of destruction. People will hurt us, they will disappoint us, family and close friends will reject us, those we love will betray us, and during our life some will judge us and turn away from us in our hour of need. The bottom line is, we will all know pain of some kind while we live upon this earth. There are no exceptions to this and no remedies to correct this problem.
This is the reality of, "Through many trials we must enter the Kingdom of Heaven." Did you notice what He said? He said not one trial, but many. In other words, the trials of this life will continue until we enter into the place where troubles will cease, the place every child of God will come home to; it’s heaven. Heaven is the only place where there will be no striving, no troubles, no tears or pain, no confusion, no struggles of survival, no fear or want. Hallelujah that God would give us such an end!
Jesus knew this, beloved. He understood the struggles, the hardships and sufferings that would come for each of us because He has lived upon the earth just as we are now. He understood how absolutely vital it would be for you and I to know and to have a constant in our life: A constant source of strength when we are weak, a constant presence of comfort when fear has gripped our heart, a constant balm of healing when we have been hurt by the hand of another, a constant light illuminating the darkness, so we will know the way in which we are to go, a constant tower to run and hide ourselves away from our enemies, a constant rock to stand upon when everything around us is sinking, a constant well of unconditional love to draw from when we have drank the bitter waters of rejection, a place of boundless forgiveness when we have stumbled and given way to sin, and a constant hope when our soul is in despair. Our constant, beloved, is not found in people, in our jobs, our talents, our finances, our pastor, our world leaders, our marriage, not even in our families, it’s only found in Jesus.
It matters not what storms you are passing through this hour. It matters not what troubles your soul. It matters not when loneliness engulfs your soul. It matters not the pain, the struggle, the fear, the confusion, the hopelessness, the devastation. Jesus is there, and He is everything you and I will ever need, and the greatest promise knit to this truth is that He will never leave you, never. What a glorious constant we have! He is as sure as the dawn, He is your bright and morning star, your lily in each and every valley, your bread of life, your light in a dark world. He is your peace in the midst of it all.
I am never alone.
Pearls of Grace is a book of devotions for the entire year, including a read through the Bible in a year calendar, broken down for every day. Beautifully written with encouraging words of hope and empowering words of joy and strength for every woman. Pam draws from the truth and richness of God's Word and gives real life examples in her down to earth style. A must have in your library, click here for more information.
For more from Pam Jenkins and Jabbok Ministries, please visit www.jabbokministries.com!
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