Confidence in God's Presence

And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.  If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.  1 John 2:28-29

Children of God, rejoice – for we have confidence that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God abides with us now and for all eternity! 

The world in which we live is full of questions and doubts – especially now in light of the coronavirus and its effects on our lives.  People look at the world today and doubt that God even exists.  In the midst of all the hardships of life –illnesses and disease, failed relationships, financial struggles, stress, and natural disasters – people tend to question the existence of God.  Even those who believe in God, sinfully tend to doubt His love and presence in our lives.

As Christians, we have the wonderful message to proclaim that God truly does exist – and more than that, He is not a distant God, but a loving God who abides with His creation.  This is where we get our confidence as children of God: God did not leave us in the sin and despair of this world.  Instead He sent His one and only Son to become flesh in order to redeem the world by living a perfect life on our account, dying the death our sin deserves, and rising victoriously from the grave to win the victory over death for us.

God continues to abide with us through every day of our lives.  Not one moment goes by that God is not right beside us.  God is also present with us through His means of grace – Word and Sacrament.  Through His Word, God speaks His faithful and true promises and the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith to believe and hold fast to the promises of God.  In our Baptism, we were marked by God as His children – as the water combined with the power of God’s Word washed away our sin and clothed us with Christ’s righteousness.  And in the Lord’s Supper – Jesus Christ is truly present with us as we partake of His body and blood which were given and shed for us for the forgiveness of sins.

As God abides with us, we can live our lives with confidence - knowing that when we see God face to face we will not shrink away from Him in shame.  Instead we can stand boldly in His presence – clothed with Christ’s righteousness – as His children.  It is this knowledge that enables us to live each day – not in fear or doubt because of the hardships this sinful world brings – but in the blessed assurance of forgiveness, life, and salvation which is ours through Christ.

I need Thy presence every passing hour;

What but Thy grace can foil the tempters power?

Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?

Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

(LSB 878)

All Things For Good?

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

A third grade Sunday School teacher was making the point with her class that God was omnipotent – that He was able to do anything.  She asked the class, “Is there anything that you can think of that God cannot do?”  There was silence.  Then one little boy held up his hand.  Somewhat frustrated that the point had been lost on this little boy, she asked, “Well, just what is it that God can’t do?”  “Well,” replied the boy, “He can’t please everybody!”

As sinful human beings, its easy for us to blame God when we’re not happy or when things aren’t going the way we think they should.  When we’ve prayed for something and haven’t gotten the answer we’ve been looking for, it’s tempting to be displeased with God.  When we're faced with the fear and uncertainties that have arisen due to the Coronavirus outbreak, it's easy to for us to direct our anger at God.

In the midst of difficult times when we become displeased with God, we need to be directed back to God’s Word.  In His Word, God gives us His sure and certain promises that we can hold onto no matter what we face in life.  One of these promises is found in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”  Even in the most difficult of times - even in the midst of a pandemic - God is at work for our very best!

Not only is God at work for our very best, He’s also given us His very best.  God has given us the tremendous gift of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ.  Through His life, death, and resurrection we have the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life.  Later on in Romans 8 we are told that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! 

These are the sure and certain promises of God that we can hold onto no matter what we face in life!

Through the Storm

And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?”  Matthew 8:26-27

At Home Readings: Matthew 8:23-27   Psalm 107:1-29

Imagine following Jesus around during His earthly ministry.  You witness leprosy healed!  You hear the power of Jesus’ Word as He heals the centurions servant!  And if that weren’t enough, Jesus shows you His power over the devil and his demons as He cast out demons with His Word. 

One day, you find yourself on a boat with Jesus.  Jesus is sleeping when all the sudden a massive storm strikes.  You’ve been through storms before, but this one seems different. Quickly, you wake Jesus and plead for help.  He says some troubling words, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”  How do you react to this?

The disciples reacted, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him?”  Many times we read this and wonder why the disciples would even ask a question like that?  Didn’t they know Jesus had this kind of power?  Why couldn’t He calm the storm?

“What sort of man is this?”  He is Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God – our Savior.  He is the One who has power over sin, death, and the devil.  He promises that He will lead us and protect us.  With Him, we need not fear – He will get us through the storm!

Heavenly Father, Lead me and protect me through all the storms of life.  Amen.