All Shall Be Well
A wise pastor once said, “With God, the worst things are never the last things.” Across the globe many people today are going through the worst thing that ever happened to them. But, thanks be to God, this will not be the last thing.
The death of Jesus was the worst thing that could have happened to his disciples. Some of them stayed in Jerusalem and hid, afraid they would be next. But Luke 24:13-35 tells of two of his followers who went home. They gave up and began walking back to the small village of Emmaus. They were grieving and afraid.
While they were walking, Jesus came alongside and began talking with them, but they didn’t recognize him. In the midst of our grief and fear, we often don’t recognize the presence of God with us, offering comfort and strength, hope, and peace. Could it be that God’s healing presence is with you now, but you don’t recognize it?
The presence of God in our grief and fear gives us comfort and strength. God stays with you in your grief. God walks beside you in your fear and worry. Like those disciples on the road to Emmaus, invite Jesus to walk with you in your time of fear, to stay with you in your grief.
A fourteenth-century English woman named Julian of Norwich envisioned God saying to her, “All shall be well.” No matter what happens, as you recognize the presence of God, you can trust in this truth. All things shall be well. Especially in the midst of a pandemic, remember all things shall be well in the presence of Christ with you.
Greg Smith, Director of Legacy Ministry, First Baptist Church Decatur