Just Like He Said!

It would be the easiest thing in this day and age to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by what we see as reported in the news. The war that has now begun between the Iranian regime and the United States in coalition with Israel has been brewing for ages, and we trust that the nuclear and arms capabilities of this wicked regime will be significantly weakened as intended, and that Iran’s suffering people may be given the chance to begin a new life that is free from the oppression they have been living under for decades.

There are riots in almost every capital city worldwide, violence and crime on almost every street corner. It is somewhat of a scary time in which we live, and nothing is like the way most of us remember it being like not so very long ago!

We may be reassured to know that the Lord Jesus told us that at the closing of this part of human history there would be wars and rumours of wars, extreme weather events, and earthquakes in different places, famines and diseases to name but a few of the distressing things we would see characteristic of end times.

And as we can see without a doubt, this is happening just like He said!

An event is due to happen in the very near future, and for those who are His believing people, we can be extremely encouraged to know that the sorrows and troubles we are enduring or witnessing will not last forever. We are going to have somewhere to go; a place of refuge, and our beloved Lord is going to take us to there one day soon as He promised. But more on this later.

During His ministry His disciples discovered that the things that Jesus said happened exactly the way He told them. He told Peter to go and cast a line and catch a fish, and it would have in its mouth tribute money to pay at the temple. He did so and found the money as the Lord had said. (Matthew 17: 24-27.)

He sent a few disciples into the town to fetch a colt tied up in a certain place and found just as He said and brought the colt to Him upon which He rode into Jerusalem to the cheers of the multitude. (Mark 11: 2-9.)

He told His disciples where to find a certain upper room prepared for them to remember the passover, and found as He said the large upper room in readiness to receive them. (Luke 22: 9-13.)

And He prepared them for what was going to happen to Him, how He would be betrayed, delivered up and put on trial, beaten and scourged, then crucified and eventually die. But He told them also that He would rise again on the third day. This was too much for them at the time of telling, but as those dark hours approached they saw everything happen just as He said. The news of His resurrection although foreign to them at the time would have come back and given them hope in the time and place of His rejection.

Sure enough, three days after He was crucified and buried, He was seen alive by His disciples and by many others afterwards, and eventually they saw Him ascend to heaven where He is now preparing a place for all those who have trusted in Him. (Luke 24: 44-51.)

But what about us in the time allotted to us in our lives? How are we to navigate through the trials and hazards that present themselves to each of us on a daily basis?

Let us begin with the journey we took before we finally bowed the knee and received the Son of the living God as our Lord and Saviour.

For me it was a promise found in the Bible that I took to heart and pursued until I found that He was true to His Word.

Nothing was more important to me than finding the One who promised to be within reach of a sincere searching heart. I may have appeared mightily presumptuous to pursue God in the assurance that I would find Him, but the promise was declared and I believed it. And when at last I found the One I was searching for I discovered that this was His desire also and He made sure that our paths met.

It was my sin that was keeping me separated from Him, but in His mercy and by His grace I understood that the Lord Jesus was on the cross dying in the place of rebels, and sinners,  and … for me!

All that He required was true repentance and full trust in Him: “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Mark 1: 1: 15

And so it is with all who will humble themselves before Him as the sinner for whom Christ died; as promised He will come in and save all without exception who will believe in Him just like He said.

But God does not leave us to fend for ourselves once we have trusted in Him and have been saved. Once we have been brought into His wonderful family and into His loving care, He treasures us and cares for each individual as if we were the only one.

As He spoke to Israel in times past so He speaks to His people today. As the Good Shepherd tending to His sheep, so He cares for us: “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10: 14 …

Such gracious words give to us the assurance of our eternal security. We are safe in His hands who is safe in the hands of His Father. Cared and provided for, sheltered and protected by eternal love. How do we know this … because He said so!

Added to all of this is that which gives us the quiet confidence knowing that He is with us all the time: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13: 5. Even though we may at times feel isolated, we will never be all alone. Even though we cannot see Him we know by faith He is there just like He said. We do not have any reason to doubt this because He is the God of His word, and means what He says.

And surely He who keeps His word will strengthen us in our hour of need. Just wait and see … “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27: 14

He will strengthen us to walk in His ways, even if that means walking in the opposite direction to those around us, even if that means to swim upstream as it were.

Our Lord is our Deliverer and knows who to deliver us out of troubles and snares. Daniel and His three companions knew that God was able to deliver him out of the lion’s den unharmed, and able to deliver his three companions out of the fiery furnace: “…Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us … and he will deliver us …” Daniel 3: 17.

So we can rest assured that He is more than able to deliver us from becoming overwhelmed when we are faced with oppositions. It seems inevitable that trials and tribulations are part of the environment in which we live, but we are not alone in them. Jesus said: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33.

There are a multitude of wonderful promises and statements we can claim as encouragements for ourselves, but this one in particular is one we may take to heart. This is a promise of delight and comfort to the hearts of all those who love the Lord and long to be with Him.

In these days of troubles and uncertainties we know one thing for sure … He is coming one day soon to take His people away from this sad old world heading for judgement to a place of rejoicing, fulfilment and realisation. We are going to be with Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. We are going to look into the face of the One who loves our souls and saved us from eternal loss when we received Him by faith.

We can allow our hearts to be warmed and encouraged that this event will happen because as He said: “If it were not so. I would have told you.”

If He has kept His word in every circumstance we have covered and in the multitude of those that were not covered here in this Blog, we have no reason to doubt that He will do as He promised His disciples prior to His suffering on the cross. We can rest fully assured that we will be with Him soon … just like He said!