And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. Exodus 3
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
The past couple of weeks. I have been reading a ton. I mean a ton. It has been really really sweet. I don’t know what happened but somehow I became a nerd AFTER college. I never read a book for pleasure till I graduated college. Now I read all the time. I almost done with my first book of Summer and it is only the third day of summer. I think the biggest reality for me is that I am now reading with a purpose and a desire to learn more about God, family life and ministry. Man, I am so far off topic now..
Any ways, with this shift in “season” and schedule I have also been reading a lot of bible. Right now I am digging through Exodus and there is a phrase that just seems to keep coming up. This phrase has been on my heart for about a month now from when I was studying Joshua to now looking at Exodus. Then I began to research this phrase some more and found it all over the bible. This phrase continues in Isaiah as Jesus is prophesied about then the new testament explodes with this phrase in action then Jesus leaves with the same phrase. This phrase I write of is none other than “God with us.” In various forms from God speaking in Exodus that “I will be with you,” to Isaiah calling the Messiah “Immanuel.” Last but not least Jesus throws out the great commission with this powerful ending. The great commission tends to be one of those verses where everybody knows the beginning but by the end it is a faint mumble.
As I have been looking at this phrase there is one among many things I want to really point out. It starts with Adam really in the garden. Adam is given the responsibility of maintaining the earth and multiplying. Not a bad task really, but a tough task in a lot of ways. Here Adam is to do this but the encouraging part is that God was there. God was with him in the garden. God walked in the garden. The presence of God was very evident. Moses is instructed to go tell Pharaoh to “let my people go.” As Moses is given the difficult assignment God reminds him that He will be with Moses the entire time. Joshua is told to be “bold and courageous” then God reminds them that He will be with him. Fast forward to the New testament, Jesus comes and God is with the people. Jesus comes in the flesh and empowers a motley crew of disciples. Then Immanuel “leaves” into the clouds. Immanuel returns with the instructions reach, baptize, teach, equip. This great commission seems huge but the last words Jesus reminds the disciples of is the fact that God will be with them. The same way God was with Adam in the garden, Moses before Pharaoh, as a pillar of fire or clouds with the Israelites in the desert, with Joshua in boldness, with the disciples in the gospels He is now with me today. That is powerful. Immanuel, God with us. As I walk out my day, as I try live out the great commission God is with me. It is no wonder these were the last words from Jesus to the disciples. God is with me. He will never leave me nor for forsake me.
This is getting long… I’m tired…. more tomorrow
