Kept

They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple area they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the feast at all?”        John 11.56

The leaders have denounced Jesus, plotting together to destroy Him. But the people “kept looking” for Him. Many people had connected with Jesus. They had entered relationship with Him. And relationship is not undone simply by the absence of a person.

There are many places in the world today where Jesus is banned. Yet, praise God, He is not absent. A true relationship with Jesus is a heart affair. When Jesus is in the heart no amount of restriction will remove Him. Caution may well be needed on the part of the believer, but God gives wisdom to those who ask for it.

The people question whether Jesus will be attending the Jerusalem Passover feast. Even as I read this I am reminded of the great feast, the wedding feast of the Lamb. At this feast there will be no restriction. We will enter into the sweetest, lasting communion with our wonderful Lord. Those who may have been forced to keep Jesus contained in their hearts during their worldly existence will be free to celebrate and enjoy Him with great abandon. Glory be to God!

Lord God,

I pray for believers and seekers in lands where Jesus has been banned. I know that no earthly authority can limit You, for You are the greatest power.

May Your great power of love reach into every seeking heart in these forbidding places. May the heart know the joy of a resident Saviour. May the body become the temple of the Holy Spirit, even if secretly. And may every believer know the hope of ultimate communion that is to come in the wedding feast of the Lamb.

Protect and nurture Your children, Lord, in Jesus’ name I ask.            Amen.