Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28: 19-20 NKJV
David Livinstone, the famous Scottish missionary to Africa as a young person was praying about his service for the Lord, a portion of Matthew 28 NKJV came to his mind, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This scripture is what sustained him through unimaginable suffering and hardship.
The African sun had parched his skin to a leathery texture. He was blind in one eye after being struck by a tree branch. One shoulder was immobile from a lion attack. He had experienced twenty-seven to thirty bouts with malaria. His family suffered along with him as he buried two of his children in African soil. On one occasion, his wife had to return to Scotland due to health concerns. On the day she arrived back in Africa, she contracted an African disease, and in a few days, she was dead. As Livingstone knelt beside her grave, weeping, the same message came to his mind: “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This verse of the Bible was not written just for David Livingstone; it’s there for you and me. No, most of us will never experience the hardship that Livingstone did, but we will all experience times when we do not see God working or feel his presence. When we do not see him active in our lives, we make the mistake of assuming he is not there for us. David Livingstone, in all that he suffered, by faith could see the unseen God, based on the promise in the Word of God; And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Do you know what the correct translation of the word always is in this verse? It’s always.
At times, you will lose sight of God, but you can count on the fact that God will never lose sight of you.
The image is provided by Microsoft.
Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing and Broken Vessels through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- [email protected]
