Scripture tells us, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:99God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9)). Our part is to dwell on and rest on the acceptance of that finished work, and then go on to learn more and more of the One who has done the work for us.
If we look at Romans 8, we find that we are made “sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty.” It is something too great for the heart of man to conceive. If these truths had full sway on our hearts, the world would be as an idle nothing. Surely we should walk in the consciousness of being in possession of that which is unfading, amid everything that is fading.
In looking forward to the appearing of the “morning without clouds,” the brightest part of it to us ought to be the thought of being the everlasting companions of the Lamb. Our heart is never satisfied; there is a void in it that cannot be filled up by anything except the presence of Jesus.
Post-Resurrection Manifestations
Look at the Lord’s mysterious manifestations of Himself to His church during the forty days after His resurrection but previous to His ascension. They were very varied and intended, I believe, to be descriptive of the way in which, during His absence, He would manifest Himself according to the varied need of His people. Mary was in one condition (John 20:1414And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. (John 20:14)), the disciples behind closed doors in another, Thomas in a third, but in each condition the Lord met and satisfied them with His presence. How blessed it is to have the Lord so with us as to be able to realize the truth of that word, “Your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16:2222And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. (John 16:22)).
The Lord had been taken from these disciples. Mary weeps at His grave; the two are sad while going to Emmaus. They had hung their hearts on Him; they had been attracted by His grace; they owned Him to be the Son of God; whatever they looked for and expected, they expected with Him. But now their Lord, who was their joy, their hope, their everything, was gone! But when the “little while” was over, their “sorrow is turned into joy.” He comes back to be their everlasting companion. We may have trial and adversity of every description, but still the word is, “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you” (John 14:1818I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:18)).
The Lord in the Midst
When we are gathered scripturally, we are called on to expect the Lord in our midst. If it is true that the Lord dwells in the midst of us and if we come together in the expectation of His presence, we should be able to say when we part, through the sense of His presence, either in joy or in searching power, “We have seen the Lord.”
Mary waited for the Lord in the garden in much ignorance and obscurity, but her Lord was her object. She would rather have Him dead, than not have Him at all. She wept at His grave, though not questioning about the forgiveness of her sins. We may be washed, cleansed and justified, but if we have not the known companionship of Jesus, we may well weep for that.
It should be equally so in our private communion, or when alone, that we experience the Spirit revealing Christ to us, opening Him to the delight of our hearts, and enabling us to say, “We have seen the Lord.” May we so walk that the promise of the abode of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ may be realized by us daily.
Christian Friend (adapted)