THE PERPETUAL PRESENCE
"This is the resting place, let the weary rest; and this
is the place of repose"—
"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age." Matthew 28:20
What can give rest, if the presence of an Almighty Savior
cannot—the habitually felt shade of the Heavenly Palm? Israel had but one
Elim. Christ's people have the Divine Reality at each resting place
of the journey, until the last stage of all be reached; and then, only to be
ushered, from the partial glimpses of faith, into the full vision and
fruition of glory!
When Jesus spoke the words of our motto-verse, sorrow was
filling the hearts of His disciples at the thought of His departure, when
the most sacred of friendships seemed about to be ended forever. But by one
glorious promise He turns their sadness into joy. 'I go,' He seems to say,
'and yet I will never leave you. These heavens are about to receive Me: but
though My personal presence be withdrawn; though this Risen body is
soon to be screened from view behind the veiled glories of the Holiest of
all, do not think in reality I am gone—"Surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age!"'
That farewell saying has lost none of its comfort. How
delightful the contemplation! the assurance of the upholding arm of a
personal, living, loving Savior; susceptible of every human sympathy;
bending over us with His pitying eye; entering with infinite tenderness into
every earthly need and woe; drawing near in all the dark experiences of
life, as He did to the disciples on their midnight sea, and whispering the
calming words, "It is I" (or rather, "I AM"), "do not be afraid." 'I am the
Living One; I am the Controlling One (yes, and to "as many as I love"); I am
the Rebuking One, and the Chastening One!' Let us think of this, not as a
cold abstraction, or beautiful fantasy, but as a glorious truth, a sublime
and comforting verity. He is ever with us!
In the midst of sacred musings over departed friends,
when visions of the loved and lost come flitting before us like shadows on
the wall, how often do we indulge the pleasing imagination of their still
mingling with us in mysterious communion, their wings of light and smiles of
gladness hovering over us: delighting to frequent with us hallowed visits
and participate again in hallowed joys. This may perhaps be a fond illusion
regarding others, but it is sublimely true regarding Jesus. When the gates
of the morning are opened; swifter than the speeding light, His
footstep of love is at our threshold. When the gates of the evening
revolve on their silent hinges, and day merges and melts into twilight, He
is there! Amid the bustle of life, in "the loud stunning tide of
human care," He is there! By the lonely sickbed, when the glow of
health has left our cheek, and the dim night-lamp casts its flickering gleam
on our pillow, He is there! When the King of terrors has entered our
dwellings—when we are seated amid the awful stillness of the death-chamber,
listening in vain for the music of cherished voices, hushed for the forever
of time, He is there!
In all these diverse experiences, He draws near in
touching tenderness, saying, "Surely I am with you always. I will
come in the place of your loved ones. I will be near to cheer and
comfort, to support and sustain you. I who once wept at a grave am
here to weep with you. I will be at your side in all that trying
future. I will make My grace sufficient for you, and My promises
precious to you, and My love better than all earthly affection. The one is
changeable; I am unchangeable—the one must perish; I am the
strength of your heart and your portion forever!"
In the original, the word ALWAYS, in the parting promise,
is expressive. It means "all THE days" (all the appointed days).
Our times are in the hands of Jesus, He counts not our years but our
days; He promises to be with us every day, to the last day of
all. And when that last day comes, He withdraws not His Presence, but
changes the scene of it, and says, "TODAY shall you be with Me in
PARADISE."
"Oh, there is nothing in the world
To weigh against Your will;
Even the dark times I dread the most,
Your covenant fulfill:
And when the pleasant morning dawns
I find You with me still.
"There in the secret of my soul,
Though hosts my peace invade,
Though through a waste and dreary land
My lonely way be made,
You, even You, will comfort me,
I need not be afraid."
"The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them
during those three days to find them a place to rest."