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“Alleluia! Not as orphans Are we left in sorrow now; Alleluia! He is near us; Faith believes, nor questions how. Though the cloud from sight received Him When the forty days were o’er, Shall our hearts forget His promise: ‘I am with you evermore’?”
Before His death and resurrection, Jesus promised His disciples, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). When their Lord was absent through the days of His death and burial, the disciples may have felt frightened and lost, but the Savior kept His promise. After His resurrection He came to His disciples again, revealing Himself to them and proving that He was alive. Then, after 40 days, the disciples watched as Jesus ascended into heaven. Angels appeared to assure them that Jesus would come again in the same way as they had seen Him go. Did the disciples still wonder about the glorious kingdom of the Messiah? When would He come back? Had He left them as orphans? The disciples may have felt very much alone, wondering when Jesus would return, but they obeyed His command. They waited in Jerusalem for “the promise of the Father,” the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:4-5).
There are times when we join the disciples in gazing up into the sky, wondering when Jesus will return. When will we see His glory? As we face daily concerns, illness, grief, or spiritual struggles, we may worry that our Lord has left us as orphans. Yet we remember another promise that Jesus gave to the disciples. The crucified and risen Lord commanded them to make disciples of all nations, to baptize and teach all that He had commanded. Then Jesus promised, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). The disciples carried out the work that Jesus gave them to do, but they did not work alone. Jesus was with them to the end.
Jesus’ command and promise are for us, too. We long for our Lord’s return, but we have work to do as we wait. Jesus calls us to be His witness and carry the Good News of salvation to all nations, beginning in our own homes and neighborhoods. He is with us as He promised. Baptized, we have been united to Him in His death and resurrection and filled with the Spirit of God. We hear our Savior’s voice in His Word. He is present in His body and blood as we receive Holy Communion. Even when clouds of trouble, loss, or sorrow seem to hide Him from our sight, our hearts cling to His promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
WE PRAY: Jesus, You keep every promise that You make. I know that You are always with me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus,” which is number 821 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
- Being an orphan is a hard life. How would the disciples have been like orphans without Jesus?
- How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus told them He would come back to them?
- How can we let others know that God has not abandoned them in this world?
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