When I was younger I used to lay a place at the table for Jesus. I also used to write him poems and letters. I was told He was the best friend I could ever have and I chose to believe it. I just loved Jesus, as a sweet, innocent little girl with a pure heart. I just knew that even though I couldn’t ‘see him’, He was just there. Always. Even though I had yet to experience His tangible presence.
One night, I did. I awoke from a nightmare. My room was on the other side of the house to my parents’ room. I lay in the darkness, my heart pounding. I was filled with fear, and I felt so isolated and alone. To go and find the comfort of my mother would have meant traversing the darkness; crossing the unknown territory of the sitting room at night. It was abounding with whispering shadows, unsavoury shapes and creaky noises. I felt stuck in that place of fear – little me, cold and afraid – with my most loved one in the world far away from me.
In my midnight wilderness, I had a quiet quandary of ‘what if’… and I remember saying: ‘Lord Jesus, if you are really there, please hold my hand?’ and I put my little hand out of the covers, into the darkness. I trusted that my invisible friend would be there for me and, most incredibly, in that step of faith I felt my hand being enveloped and warmed, as He held it. Yes, Jesus held me in that moment, and I fell back into a beautiful, peaceful sleep.
This moment has stayed with me all these years as a most real reminder that Jesus is always with me. It doesn’t have to be the sensation of having my hand held; it can be the feeling of a warm hug around my bleak emotions after I cry out in desperation to HIm; or He may present himself as a beautiful butterfly landing on a spring flower to remind me that seasons change. Jesus is everywhere, all the time. He never ever leaves us. He promises this when He says: “I will never leave you and I will never forsake you.” (….) He has got you. He has your back. He is constantly advocating for you at the Right Hand Side of Our Father in Heaven.
The thing is that Jesus sees you how God created you to be, in His image – perfect and flawless. He sees past the sin and the shame and the mess we may be in. Jesus loves you because He loves you because He loves you. He loves you. Through and through, forever and ever. It is that simple. The complication comes from us; our lack of faith.
Jesus is just waiting for you to turn to Him; to call on His name; to talk to Him; to cast your worries on Him. As soon as you do this, He can move. He says: “I stand at the door and knock, whoever opens the door shall receive me…” (….) so, being the true and honourable gentleman that He is, He waits patiently for you to let Him in.
Why don’t you ask Him today? Pray this prayer from your heart and watch Him move in your life. I promise that you will feel differently once you open the door of your heart to Him.
“Lord Jesus, thank you for your promises. Thank you that you say you will always be there for me. It is hard to receive and believe this truth sometimes because I know the pain of being let down by people. Jesus, please reveal yourself to me today. Please show up for me in a way that I just know it is you. Thank you for being my friend, Jesus. I want to be a friend to you too. I give you my heart and I invite you in to my life. Walk with me now and forever more, Lord Jesus. Amen.”
Receive this truth: you have a friend that is there for you 24/7. You can call on His name any time and He will hear you, and be there for you. How wonderful is this truth? What more could we ask for in this world of darkness and pain?
