One of the men used by God to expand His Kingdom’s sphere on earth is John Wesley.  Out of his ministry came the Methodist and Wesleyan missions and churches all over the world.  He did not only preach, but he also wrote volumes of books that contain his deep insight to the Scriptures.  There are, of course, tons of wisdom that we can draw from his writings, but out of those, there is one simple truth that he wrote that speaks so powerfully, “Best of all, God is with us.”  Simple, concise, a pure reflection of his walk with God.

Best of all, God is with us.  In the Old Testament, we can find this concept, “God is with us” or Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14, “The virgin will be child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him, Immanuel.” In the New Testament we can find this in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  On the day He began His life on earth, Jesus was Immanuel—the embodiment of God’s continued presence in the lives of His people. On the day He ended His life on earth, Jesus promised His continued presence in the lives of His disciples.  Immanuel through and through; from the beginning to the end.  No wonder, best of all, God is with us.

As I write this, I just got the news that Louisa and Pek Ban are still stuck in Germany due to positive Covid tests.  They had hoped their latest tests would be negative so they could fly home this weekend, but that will not happen. Being confined to a hotel room for weeks was not in their vacation itinerary, but evidently it is in God’s. We, too, perhaps, have had our plans either cancelled or detoured; what was not in our itinerary suddenly showed up without warning.  In times like these what usually brings comfort to our confused and troubled souls is Immanuel, or in the words of John Wesley, “Best of all, God is with us.” That’s the only best thing left that gives us hope.

Pastor Paul