Who is Jesus to me?
Savior…. Lord…. Friend….. Comforter. Many people around the world have used these words at some point to describe who Jesus is to them. Some may say them out of habit, or as something a “Christian” should say about Jesus, or even because it sounds more spiritual than admitting He is sometimes pushed to the back row. However when it comes down to the heart; how many of us actually believe the things we say He is to us?
I have recently been learning and applying how to live as though I believe these things are true. As a young Christian I always believed that Jesus was my friend. He was there to lift me up when I was down, listen to my happy thoughts throughout the day, be there to hear about and comfort me through pain and sadness, and I knew He was cheering for me when I took a step out of my comfort zone.
I still very much believe that that is true, but right now He is teaching me on a much larger scale how to live so that my head and even heart knowledge of who Jesus is to me becomes life knowledge. I am seeking to live out and apply what I know to be true in the situations and trials of everyday life. When the storms of life are raging, the emotional roller coaster seems to be neverending, problems and situations seem to be out of control, and life seems to have been turned upside down, how do I handle it? What do I do to press on through the circumstances? How to ‘Be still and know that He is God’ in the middle of the storm?
I’m learning that it’s in the small things: in constantly praying (not just thinking about prayer but the actual action :D) and giving it back to Him, it’s in singing praises to Him, and reading His word for insight and verses to cling to. It’s in the admitting I’m not strong enough, that I’m vulnerable, struggling and need Him more than I can describe. It’s in the peace that He gives when I ask Him to teach me and show me how to trust and place my faith in Him. It’s in the encouragement and testimony of friends who have been down the same road before. And it’s also in sharing the lessons I’m learning while I am still in the process of learning them; as it’s been said, you often learn something best when you have the opportunity to teach it.
Through this amazing, crazy, exciting, and complex adventure we call life He has always been and continuously will be what I need – even if I don’t go to Him first. The verse that comes to mind is, Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” He is that which I need Him to be. He is self-sustaining, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Meaning He is unlimited in His understanding and knowledge , is present in all places at all times, and has complete and unlimited power. He is my strong fortress, the safe place I can run to when life doesn’t make sense. And I’m so very glad that He is.