“He (Jesus) laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last” (Rev.1:17).
Lord Jesus, I’ve mused, preached, written about this moment in the Apostle John’s life for decades. But last week on vacation, it became deeply personal, yet again. Thank you.
Nothing fear-fueling, foreboding, or faith-challenging happened. I just felt an existential wave of vulnerability come over me. I felt smallness, not shame; not in control, not in contempt; weakness, not badness. It didn’t last long, but it felt real. Again, I say, thank you.
In that moment, a rainbow didn’t suddenly appear; an angel didn’t show up expectedly (Heb. 13:2); there wasn’t a coin in the mouth of a walleye I just caught (Matt. 17:24-27). But you were there, and you are always here—no matter the GPS location of our “here-ness.”
You haven’t just laid your right hand on us in the Gospel, you have hidden our lives in yourself (Col. 3:3). We don’t have to live afraid. Thank you. You are the First, (Middle), and the Last.
We don’t have to fear things we can’t control. We don’t have to fear people who may never change. We don’t have to fear getting old or being forgotten. We don’t have to fear not having all the answers, or not getting many of the things we assumed we’d have in life.
Jesus, you will never leave us or forsake us, stop loving us or start withholding grace. We are yours, not ours. Thank you, and a hearty, peace-full Amen.