Right There…
These days I wonder more about terms like ‘leap of faith’ or ‘stepping into the unknown’.
So easily we forget how near, how intimate our God is with us. Knows the number of hairs on our heads. Knows our thoughts before we speak them. Knows our fears, worries, regrets. Knows and deeply cares – and carries us.
I just heard the passage in Acts 8:26-40 taught by a pastor. Before now I had not picked up its deep truth: how personally the Father knows our hearts and wants us to trust He knows our burdens. You see the passage is about a eunuch – a man castrated for service in the queen’s kingdom. A cruel way of making sure of fidelity. “and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah” (Acts 8:28 NIV)
Where he had gotten the Scripture we don’t know but the interesting thing is he was reading it out loud. God sent one of the disciples, Philip, to inquire if the eunuch understood what he was reading. And here’s a portion of the exact scripture the man was reading as Philip ran alongside the chariot “In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” (Acts 8:33 NIV)
Wow, there are no coincidences with God. The very thing this man, a eunuch at the hands of an oppressor, wouldn’t have: descendants. It touched his heart deeply to know that someone else knew his sorrow. So when Philip came alongside, this man was eager to hear who the passage was about and why.
Oh, how Philip shared about a Jesus who is so familiar with our deepest longings, losses.
And you know what happened next? The man asked Philip to baptize him. No longer did he see a future of pain and loneliness – for he had found an eternity of wholeness and joy. The passage goes on to say “he went on his way rejoicing.” (vs 39)
So it is with you and me. That failed marriage, that estranged child or parent, the long hours spent weeping – our Jesus knows these. This earth life isn’t all there is – we can go on our way rejoicing. He’s right there.
parisrenae 
Thank you! This was a great reminder that Jesus was human, too.
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So awesome God knew our hearts needed to know He truly gets us 🙂 What a Savior! Blessings as you go on your way rejoicing.
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Love this!
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Hello dear friend – He is always right there – such a comfort – rejoice rejoice rejoice!
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Amen! Jesus came to earth so that He could be intimately familiar with the human condition. He is there for us always. Thank you for this!
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It is the assurance we need, and praise God who loves us so, that even in His absence physically, He made sure His Holy Spirit is with us always – such a Savior!
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You never know who God is going to use and how he is going to use them. The Enuch in Acts is the first documented Ethiopian in the Bible/history where we can trace back how the gospel was first introduced into Ethiopia. Goes to show one person can make an eternal difference!
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And He’s still about that to this very day – til He returns He will raise up witnesses to share the greatest love story ever – a Father who loves so much, He gives everything to have us…
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