Jesus Is Here

Welcome to today's encouragement from The Our Daily Bread Devotional.

Our reading was written by Katarra Patton, and she titled it, Jesus is Here. My elderly great aunt lay on her sick bed with a smile on her face. Her gray hair was pushed back from her face and wrinkles covered her cheeks. She didn't speak much, but I still recall the few words she said when my father, mother, and I visited her. She whispered, I don't get lonely.

Jesus is here with me. As a single woman at the time, I marveled at my aunt's proclamation. Her husband had died several years earlier, and her children lived far away.

Nearing her 90th year of life, she was alone, in her bed, barely able to move. Yet she was able to say she wasn't lonely. My aunt took Jesus' words to the disciples in Matthew 28 literally, as we all should.

Surely, I am with you always. She knew that Christ's Spirit was with her, as He promised when He instructed the disciples to go out into the world and share His message with others. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be with the disciples and us.

I'm certain my aunt experienced the reality of that promise. The Spirit was within her as she lay on her bed, and the Spirit used her to share His truth with me, a young niece who needed to hear those words and take them to heart. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 28 verses 16 through 20. Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always to the very end of the age.

Let's pray. Thank you, Jesus, for sending your Spirit as our comfort and our companion. When we are feeling alone, remind us that you are always with us, and with you, we're never alone. Thank you, Jesus. It's in your name that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Toni Collyer, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.