Again the evil one attacked her viciously.  She wondered why this helping friend did not come to her assistance in the fight.  Then she was moved to say to her enemy, “Depart, in Jesus’ Name.”  And instantly he fled.  And she was free and victorious.  That was her dream.  As she awoke there came to her the most real sense of the presence of her Lord.

This is only one simple illustration from life.  I have run across many of the same, wholly different each from the other, but each emphasizing the one simple tremendous fact of the constant presence with us of this same mighty Jesus.

It is of keenest help to mark that humanly the initiative of action is in our hands.  The fight is ours.  We decide our stand.  We choose, and we bear the brunt or result of our choice.  We step out as the need comes.  Prayer and a spirit of humblest dependence on Another guides our decision and action.  But we take the action.  The initiative is ours.

And always alongside is One standing close up, putting all His limitless power at our disposal, in our action.  All He did in living and dying and rising up out of death was done on our behalf.  And now all the tremendous result of His victory is at our command.  All the power native in Him is for our use.

This is the other tryst our Lover-Lord makes with us. “Lo!  I am with you all the days, sunny days and shadowy, bright days and dark, all the days clear to the end.”  This is the sacred tryst He has made with us.

And He keeps the tryst.  We may count on Him, And as we do we shall cast nets into hopeless waters and get a great haul.  We shall find His presence anticipating all our personal needs.  We shall rejoice to serve and—­if so it prove to be—­to suffer for the One we love with tenderest devotion.

And we shall look eagerly forward to seeing Him who is always in touch with us, here and now, to seeing Him with these outer eyes of ours, coming in glory with His resistless power, to make some blessed changes.

Footnotes

[1] John i. 35-42.

[2] i. 1-18.

[3] i. 19-xii. 50.

[4] Chapters xiii.-xvii.

[5] Chapters xviii.-xix.

[6] Chapters xx.-xxi.

[7] Colossians i. 15-17.

[8] Philippians ii. 6-8.

[9] Ephesians i.19-23.

[10] Revelation i. 13-18.

[11] i. 1-18.

[12] i. 19-xii. 50.

[13] Chapters xiii.-xvii.

[14] Chapters xviii.-xix.

[15] Chapter xx.

[16] Chapter xxi.

[17] There are nineteen of these incidents: