Jesus is in the mess

On the face of it, noticeboards are a good thing: they give the opportunity to advertise events, highlight important matters and make statements.  The problem is, of course, the many people ignore them.  A few weeks ago, I was looking at a noticeboard which is devoted to displaying some of the work produced by the children and young people of Sunday Club in one of my churches.  I regularly take a look at the noticeboard, as it often contains items of interest which provoke reflection.  This is one which took my attention recently:

Jesus’ promise to his disciples, ‘I am with you always’ (Matthew 28.20) reflects the many occasions in the Bible when God assures his people of his constant presence.  For example, in Isaiah 41.10 we read, ‘do not fear, for I am with you’ and in Hebrews 13.5, ‘I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.’

The most well known and loved of all the Psalms is Psalm 23.  The Psalm paints an assuring picture of the loving provision of the shepherd for his sheep, and in doing so reflects God’s relationship with his people.  The shepherd is, to the sheep, the guide, provider, protector and comforter.  So, as the writer of the Psalm considers God’s constant presence, he can say, ‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me’ (v4).

When we find ourselves in troubled times, we may be tempted to ask why God has allowed us to encounter such an experience.  The truth is that nowhere in the Bible does it say that if we trust in God and believe in Jesus Christ, we will experience a trouble-free life – in fact sometimes the opposite may be the case.  It is significant, I think, that the psalmist writes, ‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley..’  Not around the darkest valley, but through it! 

It is likely that all of us at different times will face ‘storms’ in our lives.  We need, then, to hang on to God’s promise that he will be right there with us in the storm and will lead us through it.  In other words, when we’re in a mess, we will find that Jesus is right there with us!