GO: WITH YOU ALWAYS

THE PRAYER        

• Find a quiet space.        
• Breathe deeply and recognise God with you in this moment.        
• When you are ready, speak to God about this time together.        
• After you've finished praying, go through the following passage a few times slowly and thoughtfully (preferably out loud).       
• Allow God to meet you in these words.

Sing God a brand-new song! Earth and everyone in it, sing! Sing to God, worship God! Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, Take the news of his glory to the lost, News of his wonders to one and all! For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap; Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags. God made the heavens. Royal splendour radiates from him, A powerful beauty sets him apart. Bravo, God, Bravo! Everyone join in the great shout: Encore! In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might. Psalm 96: 1-7 (MSG)

THE FIRST READING

Read this passage slowly (preferably out loud) as you allow God to meet you in these words. Pay attention to anything God might be saying as you do.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

RESPONSE

Take some time to respond (write down, draw, pray, etc.) to God’s prompting in the first reading of the passage. What is he highlighting and saying to you through this?

THE SECOND READING

Read the passage again (slowly and preferably out loud) through the “lens” of what The Spirit highlighted in the first reading. Listen for anything else the Spirit might be saying.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)

THE REFLECTION

With us.

This is one of the great miracles of the Christian faith. From the depths to the heights, to the fear of darkness itself, God is always with us. Or, perhaps it's better to say that we are always with God. Like a pebble thrown into a vast ocean, we are quite simply drowning in a God-saturated reality.

Jacob learnt this while sleeping on a stone in the middle of nowhere. A vision of angels and a ladder woke him to the truth that the Lord was in that place even though he was not aware of it. To add to this, Jesus told us that in his death, he would become the stairway between heaven and earth. Suddenly, there are no more “ordinary places." There are no moments to write off as unimportant or people to overlook as insignificant. Suddenly, this office, grocery store, bathroom, traffic jam, or dinner table is nothing less than the house of God.

This is the gate of heaven. How would it change our lives if we really believed this? How might the mundane become a miracle if we realised that every moment is an altar in the world? More than that, how might Jesus’ promise that he is with us always as we join him in his mission inspire us to do just that?

If, like Mother Teresa, we expected to find Jesus in the least of these as we served him there, would we be more given to justice, mercy, and mission? If, which seems to be the case in this passage, there is a depth of God’s presence to be found in the midst of God’s purpose, would we say with Isaiah, “Here am I, send me," in order to experience more of him? Would the gift of Jesus, waiting in the people and places we avoid, be enough to make us meet him there?

These are important and sobering questions. At the very least they should help us realise that God’s presence is meant for more than just our comfort.

God’s presence is power for his purpose.

God is not only with us to meet us at our point of need, as wonderful as that is. God is with us so that as we meet others at their point of need, we can be strengthened in our service.

Perhaps, as you think about these things it would be helpful to ask The Spirit where the promise of His presence might be leading you today.