A Ministry Of Presence

John 17:13-26

I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. (John 17:15-16)

YOU PROBABLY REALIZED LONG ago that you were living in hostile territory. Like a defector from a communist country, you left the culture of this world and embraced the culture of God’s Kingdom as your own, trading your natural homeland for a spiritual one. You belong to the world God created—you were part of his original design—but you no longer belong to the fallen world it has become. You have a citizenship in heaven, even while you walk out your days in this material realm.

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he didn’t take his followers with him. The time had not yet come. There was work to be done, and he sent them on a mission—the same kind of mission he had undertaken when the Father sent him (John 17:18; 20:21). He had already told the disciples they could not go with him to heaven (John 13:36), but he had also told them that he was preparing a place for them to come (John 14:2). He left them but assured them they would not be alone. In fact, he said it was better for him to leave so his Spirit could come to inhabit them (John 16:5-15). His prayer the night before his crucifixion was that they be left right where they are, in the midst of a world of chaos and evil, but protected from the evil one.

That’s where we still live. We are in the midst of a world of trouble, but we are confident that Jesus has overcome it, just as he said (John 16:33). He continues to be present in this world through his people. That’s why one of the greatest things we can do for people in need of God is to be there—to be present, in the context of problems and pain, carrying the counsel and companionship of God wherever we can. As long as we live, that’s our ministry, just as Jesus intended.

{Jesus, you left me with a mission, and I want to accomplish it well, to complete it with faithfulness and excellence. Manifest your wisdom, power, and love within me, wherever the world needs you. Lead me in a ministry of presence. Amen.