We all have amazing families and friends who have been in our lives forever and who are there for us in our toughest times. We are all surrounded by kindred spirits and loved ones. We all have so many wonderful people around us to thank the Lord for. But what happens when all that goes away? What happens when relationships end? What happens when the people who we thought were always going to be there are suddenly far, far away?
Psalm 73: 23 - 25 states, "Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
Recently in my youth group at church there was a evangelist visiting and our youth pastor told us we could ask him one question. The question we chose to ask him was: What piece of advice would you give to us as young people in the world that we live in?
The evangelist thought for about two seconds before responding, "Stay close to the Lord Jesus. No matter where you are - at home, at work, at Church, at school - seek the face of God. Just as the old man has to hold onto Jesus to die, you have to hold onto Jesus to live. At the end of the day, everything will change. The thing that means something to you today won't mean anything tomorrow. Everything changes. But Christ, never."
In Psalms 73: 26-28 David says, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from You will perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds."
If we are going to survive this dark, broken world, we have to hold onto the hand of Christ. We have to breathe with His breath, see through His eyes, speak His words. Left to our own devices and the devices of other human beings, we will surely perish. But Christ is the rock that never moves, the tree that is never shaken. We must be willing to let go of ephemeral things and put every ounce of our faith into a God who never changes or fails.
Rest your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
The things of this world will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
