“I am with you always, to the very end of the age” Matt. 28:20 (NIV). Before Jesus ascended to heaven he promised to be with his disciples always. The gift of the Spirit, which is the Spirit of Jesus, fulfilled this promise; now, Jesus is with you always. This is a priceless gift that the Old Testament believers could not imagine. In the Old Testament, God (Yahweh) only dwelt in the innermost room of the temple, the holy of holies. The temple, and especially the holy of holies, was the center of the ancient Jewish nation. Nothing was more precious to devout Jews than the presence of Yahweh in their temple. It was better to be at the temple than anywhere else on earth because the presence of God was there.
Now his Spirit makes his home inside you, and you can “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18 ESV). You have the presence of God inside you in a way that far surpasses the presence of God in the ancient Jewish temple. Therefore, Jesus is with you whether you feel it or not. This is your comfort and encouragement. When you do not feel that Jesus is with you, you may be tempted to try to use your internal strength to feel that Jesus is with you, but this is actually a sign of weak faith. The better approach in dryness is to trust that Jesus is with you and not worry about the feelings. He is waiting for you to believe his words so that through faith you will have confidence in his presence and support. Then feelings will come or go, but Jesus is with you at all times. By believing he is with you his transforming power is free to flow through you.
