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My Soul With the Lord Always
(Mt28:19-20)

God is omnipresent.
There is no place in heaven and earth where He is not present (Jer23:24), and
He takes those who walk faithfully with Him to be with Him forever (Ge5:21-24).
 
Faith is, even after family, friends, and even my own body have departed,
My soul yearning to be with the Lord always.
The life of this faith is being conscious of God’s constant presence and solely pleasing Him (He11:5).
 
Since humans were made to live together
Loneliness is a pain more unbearable than financial hardship.
Consequently, even if they have lovers, friends, and family,
There are those who turn to the extreme choice of suicide
If they do not feel connected to others in thoughts, hearts, and wills.
 
As the Bible says it is better to live in a desert
Than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife (Pr21:19),
After taking the fruit that God forbid and was questioned about it after (Ge3:11),
Adam, who had boasted about the unity of husband and wife (Ge2:23),
Resented "the woman you put here with me” (Ge3:12), treating her as the Other.
 
The great deluge wiped away all humans who were only flesh,
With whom the Spirit of God will not contend forever (Ge6:3-8).
But Noah, who was blameless among the people of his time, that is,
An descendant of Adam, a man with spirit, walked faithful with God and
So God saved him from the deluge (Ge6:9).
 
The Bible is a record of those whom God was with:
•       Joseph—although sold to Egypt as a slave, he ultimately became its ruler (Ac7:9-10);
•       Moses—with his staff he delivered the Israelites from their slavery (Ex4:12-15);
•       Israel—after the exodus they were led by the pillar of fire, the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle etc (Ex33:16);
•       Joshua—for the LORD was with him, he conquered Canaan (Nu14:9; Jos6:27);
•       Samuel—all his prophecies were fulfilled and he became a great prophet (1Sa3:19);
•       David—rejoicing when the ark of God was brought, he offered sacrifices of praise in the tent which he prepared (1Ch15:1, 29, 16:4).
 
The ark of God inside the temple reminded Israel that:
•       The ark of the covenant—the vase with manna—Jehovah who was with them for 40 years in the wilderness—they lacked nothing (Dt2:7);
•       The ark of the testimony—the tablets of the testimony—the commandments given by Jehovah who was with Moses for 40 days (Ex34:28-29).
 
Yeshua said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days,” because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body (Jn2:19-21),
He would reveal that the Creator God, who was with Israel conceptually,
Came as the only begotten Son, to be with the souls of all nations concretely,
For the Word who was with God in the beginning, that is, God (Jn1:1-3)
Became flesh and dwelled with men (Mt1:21-23; Jn1:14):
The Word with God—> Immanuel/ Yeshua—> God with us.
 
Disregarding the Pharisees who criticized Him for being with sinners (Mt9:10-12),
He taught the disciples who were with Him (Mk3:14) that
He who is greater than the temple and the law, that is, God, was with them (Mt12:1-6; Jn8:16).
 
As He died alone, He said, “It is finished” (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1)    Died according to the command in order to be with the Father forever (Jn10:18);
2)    Judged the devil, the separator (Ge3:4-6); and
3)    Through death redeemed all mankind and sprinkled His blood to be with the souls who receive.
 
He resurrected and ascended to heaven, and
He is seated on the throne with the Father forever (Rev3:21).
The Holy Spirit whom He promised came and He is another advocate (Jn14:16-17).
Unlike the Son of Man, the Holy Spirit is with the souls who have the blood of Yeshua forever.
 
The Christian is he who believes that my soul is always with the Lord.
Therefore, he does not worry about present or future matters (Mt6:34; Rm8:38-39),
He is not lonely even if he is locked up in a prison alone, and
Not fearing tribulation, persecution or death, he shouts to preach the gospel (Ac18:9-10).
 
O Lord,
Like Enoch whose life was cut short but had walked with God,
Let me prove that I had pleased You before You take me home…
Immanuel who is with my soul to the very end!
Let us all hold fast to the name of Yeshua and live by it
Until we are home to live with You forever! Amen.