This verse was the theme for Focus, our biggest student ministry event of the year. I chose Matthew 28:20 because it speaks directly to a misconception I had growing up that God was distant. I couldn’t see Him, and I didn’t always feel His presence, so I assumed He wasn’t near.
But this verse is the very last thing Jesus says before ascending into heaven. That matters. Of all the things He could have said, He chose to remind His followers of this: I am with you always. That’s not just a comforting thought, it’s a declaration of who He is. He is Immanuel, “God with us.”
Interestingly, the very first thing in Scripture that God said was not good was that man was alone (Genesis 2:18). Jesus, in His final words, echoes that same truth. We were never meant to walk through life alone. In moments of temptation, discouragement, or isolation, even when we feel distant from everyone else, Jesus tells us to remember this truth: He is right there with us.
Sometimes, when we don’t feel God’s presence, we start believing we need to do more to earn it. We think we need to read more, pray harder, or worship better. But maybe the answer isn’t always doing more, maybe it’s doing less. We fill every hour with noise, tasks, and distractions, forgetting that God is present even in the quiet moments, in the everyday.
Maybe we just need to press pause. To stop doing and simply be. Sit still for five minutes. Breathe. Be a human being instead of a human doing. And in that space, remember the promise: I am with you always.