Real encounters with Jesus are always life changing. And they are usually unexpected. Although it is clear that Christ wants a relationship with all of us, none of us can force Jesus to talk to us or show up in our lives whenever we want him to. He comes in His own time, and in His own way. It is most often a surprise.
Several months ago, I was attending a conference. I was exhausted and questioning a lot of things that were going on in my life. Suddenly words and a picture popped into my mind. With surprise I realized that Jesus was talking to me in a very specific way. Since that time, I have realized God seldom gives a word that belongs to one person alone; it is usually for all of His children. So, as I write this, I believe that the words and picture are for you, as well as for myself.
The words, “Stand on the wall” are the words that came into my mind while I was in the conference room. When I heard those words, my first impression was “Don’t give up. Stand your post. Stay the course. Be willing to keep standing even though there is no end in sight.”
If we are tired and discouraged the words “stand on the wall” are not what we want to hear. We want to hear–“It is finished. It is over. Well done!” But that is not what Jesus said to me.
In a sense, if you know Jesus as your personal savior, you are the guardian for the people around you who do not know Him. Some of these are friends; others are family members, or even children and husbands. You are to guard them, to pray for them, to alert them to what God is doing in their lives and in our world.
This is not easy. Especially when the people around you are not sympathetic or desirous of what you are trying to do. But that doesn’t let us off the hook. If Jesus has put us as a guardian to “stand on the wall,” there is someone He wants us to care for and look after and pray for. It is often an unappreciated task. Yet, we must not give up.
But, it is so hard to stand on the wall alone.
I told you at the beginning of this article that God had given me words and a picture.
I want to tell you now about the picture. I saw Jesus standing outside of a doorway waiting for someone who was still inside. It appeared as if He were standing in a stone corridor. He was dressed in the kind of clothes He must have worn when He lived on earth. He was carrying a walking staff and on his back he wore a backpack. It was evident that He planned to go on a journey. It was also evident that He was waiting for someone to join Him. I understood that He was waiting for me, for you.
Wherever we are, Jesus is prepared to be with us. We don’t have to stand our post alone. If you are praying for your family this holiday season, if you are a single mom, a woman whose husband has left you, an older grandma, remember this–YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Jesus is with you. He is dressed and ready for any trip you make.
My favorite name for Jesus is Immanuel. It means “God with us.” In the book of Matthew, chapter 28 verse 20 Jesus says: “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
You have the gift of never being alone. Always and forever!
