Experiencing God's Presence #11

Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:20

Close your eyes (after you’ve finished reading this, of course). Picture Jesus sitting in front of you—His eyes looking gently into yours, His smile as encouraging and patient as you need it to be, His posture calm and unassuming. Hold this image on the screen of your mind as long as you’d like to. Then open your eyes and ask yourself, Was that an escape from reality or an escape into it?

That’s just my imagination, you might think. It wasn’t real. But consider this question: When are you closer to reality—when you’re holding a picture of Jesus’ Presence in your mind, or when you are going about your day, forgetting that He is with you? Never mind whether you got the details of His face right; that isn’t the point. The point is that when you picture Him with you, you’re holding on to biblical truth. And when you’re busy and bogged down in the details of life without consciously thinking about Him, you’ve forgotten what’s true. Your sanctified “imagination” is more in touch with reality than your preoccupied mind is.

You’ll find that if you do this enough—if you get familiar enough with this Jesus—He will probably speak to you at some point. Those words, if consistent with Scripture, can be very real too. Sure, you’ll want to measure them against His written Word and avoid making major decisions based solely on the voice you hear, but you can certainly hear His encouragement and love anytime you need to. He has promised to speak (John 16:13), and He has promised to be with you to the end of the age. Assuming and envisioning the truth of these words is the privilege of any child of His.

Thank you, Jesus, for being with me. Help me see You more clearly, hear You more certainly, and trust You more fully—in every moment of my life.

From the book