Introduction

Jesus is a man of His word. He met His disciples in Galilee, on a mountain which He had specifically appointed. His followers were somewhat skeptical about the meeting. Some worshipped Him, but some doubted ( Matt. 28:16-17). The Lord did not comment upon their attitude; instead, He (1) expressed the universal authority which had been given to Him, and (2) issued instructions for the evangelism of the entire world ( 18-19). He then calmed their fears by saying, "I am with you all the days,"(20). "All the days" in reality means "every day." The Lord is reassuringly telling us that He will be with us every day of our lives, for the rest of our lives. There is no thought anywhere in the New Testament more consoling than this. From this verse (20) some great lessons are available to learn. Figuratively speaking:

Jesus Hovers Over us

The apostle Peter said, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil" (1 Pet. 3:12). Nothing can happen or affect God's children which is not known to Him. Not even a sparrow can fall to the ground unnoticed. Not only this but the very hairs of our head are all numbered (Matt. 10:29-30). Even more importantly and comforting is the fact that our importance transcends that of the sparrow. The Lord continually verbalized His concern over the welfare of His people. He said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her own brood under her wings, and ye would not" (Luke 13:34). Peter beautifully summed up our Lord's concern for us by saying, "Casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). Casting [ASV] is the translation of the Greek word, indicating once for all; a one time act. Why are we to do this? "Because to him it matters".

Jesus Walks Beside Us

Jesus walks beside us to give us directions, to point the way. There is no way we can get spiritually lost if we "walk by His

Leaders are always in front of the people, Jesus is the Captain [KJV] of our salvation (Heb. 2:10). He is always before our face that we should not he moved (cf. Acts 2:25), but we must focus on Him. We must not lose our concentration. He is constantly in front of us, challenging us to make the right decisions, to do the right thing. We are urged to develop a "mind-set" that will continually be "looking unto Jesus the author [Captain, ASV] and perfecter of our faith..." (Heb. 12:2). Like Enoch of old, we must walk with our God (Gen. 5:21).

Jesus Walks Behind Us

Our blessed Lord extends protection to us from every side, from every angle. He will make sure that no enemy can sneak up on us from behind. He sees to it that no attacker approaches us, unseen, from the rear. The devil is described as a "roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour." The word for devour literally means "to drink down," as an animal swallowing its prey [Rienecker, see also Jonah 2:1]. Satan is a stalker. He lurks in the dark. He concentrates on those children of God who are weak in faith, and those who linger behind, who allow too much distance between themselves and the Lord. They are Satan's victims. The strong do not always hear the cries for help. They are too far behind. Satan could easily "move in for the kill." But the Lord will block his efforts if we let Him. Because our Lord is with us always, every day, all the days, it is with good courage we say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear: What shall man do unto me?" (Heb. 13:6, ASV).

Noah Hackworth
Visalia, Ca.