by: Plow & Crown (Matthew Blatchley)
matt@plowandcrown.com
Matthew 28:20 ESV
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Word
There are seasons when life seems to become uncertain from every direction at once. A friend may lose a job and suddenly face questions about how to provide for their family. Someone else may receive troubling medical news and find themselves walking through fear and uncertainty. Financial pressures can strain a household, while difficulties within a marriage or friendship can leave people feeling isolated and discouraged. Even our faith can become difficult to maintain when circumstances do not unfold as we hoped. Yet Jesus gives His followers a promise that reaches beyond every one of these situations. He does not promise that we will never experience hardship. He promises that He will be with us through it. His presence is not temporary, dependent upon favorable circumstances, or limited to the moments when we feel spiritually strong. Christ remains with His people in the uncertainty, in the waiting, in the disappointment, and in the struggle.
Behind the Passage
Matthew 28 records the words of Jesus after His resurrection as He prepares His disciples for the work He is giving them. They are being sent into the world to make disciples and teach others to follow Christ. This would not be an easy assignment. They would encounter opposition, rejection, persecution, and many circumstances they could not foresee.
The historical and cultural setting helps us understand why Christ's assurance would have meant so much to these disciples. Their society was built around strong family relationships, community identity, occupation, religious affiliation, and social standing. Following Jesus could place a person at odds with family members, religious leaders, and the surrounding culture. The disciples were being sent beyond the familiar environment of their own community and into a world where they would encounter people and circumstances very different from what they had known.
Jesus therefore did not send them forward with a promise that everything would be easy. He sent them forward with the assurance of His presence.
There is also an important connection within Matthew's Gospel. At the beginning of the book, Jesus is identified with the name Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” At the conclusion of the Gospel, Jesus assures His disciples, “I am with you always.” The Gospel begins and ends with the profound truth that God has come near to His people.
Understanding the Truth
It is easy to feel overwhelmed when several areas of life become difficult at the same time. When a person is dealing with health concerns while also worrying about finances, the emotional burden can become enormous. When employment disappears, the uncertainty can affect an entire family. When a marriage or friendship is struggling, the emotional weight can make everything else seem harder. When someone is already carrying those burdens and begins questioning their faith, they may wonder where God is in the middle of it all.
This is where the promise of Christ becomes deeply personal. Our circumstances may change, but His presence does not. We may not know what tomorrow will bring, but Jesus already knows. We may not understand why a particular difficulty has entered someone's life, but God has not lost control of the situation.
That does not mean every prayer will be answered in exactly the way we desire. Scripture never gives us permission to assume that God's presence guarantees the particular outcome we want. Instead, it gives us something more foundational. We can trust that God will remain with us regardless of what the outcome may be.
When we pray for someone who is sick, we can confidently ask God for healing while trusting His wisdom. When we pray for someone who has lost a job, we can ask Him to provide employment and meet their financial needs. When we pray for a troubled marriage or friendship, we can ask God to bring humility, forgiveness, wisdom, and restoration. When we pray for someone struggling with faith, we can ask the Lord to strengthen their confidence in Him and help them see that unanswered questions do not mean God's absence.
The presence of Christ gives us a reason to keep praying when circumstances remain unresolved. We are not praying into an empty room. We are bringing our concerns before the One who has promised to remain with His people.
A Moment to Reflect
Take some time today to think about the people God has placed in your life who are experiencing difficult circumstances. Consider the friend who is searching for work, the person waiting for medical results, the family dealing with financial pressure, or the couple trying to find their way through a difficult season in their marriage. Think about the friendships that have become strained and those who may be quietly struggling with doubts about their faith.
Instead of simply thinking about how difficult their circumstances are, think about the fact that Christ is present with them in those circumstances. Bring each person before the Lord in prayer and ask God to make His presence evident to them. Ask Him to provide practical needs, emotional strength, spiritual encouragement, wisdom for difficult decisions, and peace during seasons of uncertainty.
You may not know what God will do in each situation, but you can know that He is not absent from any of them.
Consider This
Sometimes we measure God's faithfulness by how quickly our circumstances improve. When the job comes through, the medical report is good, the financial situation improves, or a troubled relationship begins to heal, it is easy to recognize God's hand at work. The greater challenge comes when we continue praying and nothing seems to change.
Matthew 28:20 gives us something to hold onto during those seasons. Christ's presence is not determined by the speed of the answer. He does not become less faithful because the waiting continues. He does not move farther away because we are struggling to understand what He is doing.
The people you are praying for may not know what their future holds. You may not know either. But you can remind them, and remind yourself, that their future is not outside the presence of Christ.
Whatever tomorrow brings, He will still be there.
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the assurance that You are with us always. Today I bring before You the people in my life who are struggling with job loss, medical concerns, financial difficulties, troubled marriages, strained friendships, and challenges to their faith. You know every burden they are carrying, including the ones they may not have shared with anyone else.
Please meet them in the middle of their circumstances. Give wisdom to those who need to make difficult decisions, strength to those who are physically or emotionally exhausted, provision to those facing financial needs, healing to those who are sick, and encouragement to those who feel discouraged or alone. Bring reconciliation where relationships have been damaged and strengthen the faith of those who are struggling to trust You.
Help us to remember that Your presence is not dependent upon our circumstances. Teach us to continue praying, continue trusting, and continue looking to You even when we cannot see what You are doing.
Thank You for the promise that we never have to face this life alone.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
