Scripture Reading: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
I haven’t traveled extensively, but have stepped foot in Washington, D.C. and Washington state; Toronto and Tijuana; Burlington, Wisconsin and Bermuda and several places in between. All have been memorable, but none so memorable as my trip to Israel. In my planning, I anticipated “walking where Jesus walked” and experiencing the Holy Land first-hand. Nothing - not even Pastor Gabe’s telling us how life-altering it would be - prepared me for what happened there.
I’m an “outline,” step-by-step, measure-twice-cut-once kind of person. This first, this next, then this - you get the picture. Why was I so surprised that the itinerary didn’t start in Bethlehem and end at Calvary? I mean, if I were to walk in His steps, wouldn’t we go where He went, the way He went, in the order He went? I am so glad we didn’t, as it enabled me to concentrate on where I was, rather than ponder the next location. So I focused on each step, which, by the way, is good advice when walking the sandal-polished stones of Jerusalem’s ancient streets!
With each step where Jesus’s feet touched, “Jesus was HERE!” filled my thoughts…the small portion of stairway leading to the temple, still visible since He first walked those stones; the tortuous path to Golgotha, including one spot His blood and sweat most assuredly dripped onto the pavement; the Sea of Galilee’s sandy shore; the short path between Peter’s house and the nearby synagogue; the actual stairs He climbed to Caiaphas’s house; and the Garden of Gethsemane.
It happened in the Garden. Beautiful. Quiet. Peaceful. Yet, in the stillness, was an awareness of Jesus’s agony as He cried out to the Father, beseeched his companions to watch with Him, sweat great drops of blood, and surrendered to the perfect will of God. Imagining how it was, I prayed step-by-step through that Garden, telling myself again, “Jesus was HERE!” Suddenly, overwhelmingly, I sensed His presence, and heard Him speak to my heart, “I am here with you NOW!” There. There it was. As awesome, as inspiring, as emotional as it was to have planted my feet where He had planted His, it was there, in that Garden, that He reminded me in no uncertain terms that He is with us in the NOW. He agonized in the Garden there and then so He could be with us here and now. In every moment, every day, every triumph, every trial, He IS with us… in the exciting and the mundane; in the stress and the calm; in the joy and the grief...not WAS, but IS… Is. With. Us. He lives in the perpetual NOW! I will always treasure having followed His footsteps there and then, but more precious is knowing He’s walking with us here and now. Is your walk difficult? He’s walking with you. Are you plodding through grief? He’s beside you. Are you dancing with joy? He’s dancing with you. In every circumstance, we can embrace Him, His peace, His joy. Here. Now. Forever!
“Lord, thank you that because of your immense love and perfect sacrifice, your everlasting presence is with us in every circumstance and situation. May we always be aware of that presence, knowing you are with us always, for you have said in your Word, “Never will I leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Remind us that you are walking with us every step of the way...when we rejoice, when we grieve, in special celebrations or in everyday routines. Let us long to know you more and more on our daily walk with you, as we study your Word, listen for your voice, and submit to your will. Amen.”