“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b
Where is God in the midst of life?
Angels foretold Jesus’s birth, saying His name would be Immanuel, which means God with us, and Jesus said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). Ian Simkins writes beautifully of what that means:
He says:
Immanuel is God is with us. That means that God is with us in the ER, in the divorce lawyer’s office, during final [exams] and changing diapers. God is with us in prison, at the [store] and during the ugly cry … He is with us in therapy, on the first date … and doing dishes … He is with us at the anniversary, at the memorial, when memories are vivid and when we wish they weren’t. God is with us at the bus stop … on the nightshift and in the morning chaos. He is with us on the mountaintop and in the valley, in the mundane middle and in the unexpected detour. He is with us when test results come back clear and when they don’t. When the prodigal comes home and when they don’t … He is with us in the waiting room … and in recovery. He is with us in the cubicle, on the construction site, in the courtroom … He is with us when the laughter is contagious, when the silence is deafening … He is with us … when the door opens and when it closes. He is with us … when we thought we’d be married by now, when ’til death do us part turns into ‘there is someone else’ and when we’re missing the one who is not here. When we are frustrated, overwhelmed and weary … God is with us today, tomorrow … and every day after. There is no place you are that God is not. [1]
[1] Simkins, Ian. A Sermon on Christmas, Matthew 1. YouTube, YouTube, 25 Dec. 2024, https://youtu.be/PE6nwdPWMkY?si=u3kqL5rYzYVoFK0w. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
