"Don't Leave Me!"...a poem with a promise

Jesus' disciples were heart-broken when He was killed. "What are we ever going to do without Him?"  They didn't understand until later, when they saw Him with their own eyes and remembered what He had said.

Not long after that, they were about to lose Him again!  Their best friend!  Did they once again think "What are we ever going to do without Him"?  He had promised them the Spirit, the Comforter, but I wonder if there was a part of the disciples' heart that knew they would miss Jesus as a person, as the Friend who had eaten, worked, prayed, wept and laughed with them.                                                                                                   ***************************

They may have remembered that God said to Joshua, "Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  (Joshua 1:9)   God told Moses He would be with him, and it was so important that Moses replied, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here." (Exodus 33:15)  But those words were said centuries before...and not by this Man who was their Teacher!  They needed to hear those words NOW...from Him.

What did He say personally to his disciples...his friends?  Let's read this poem, and see that what He said to his disciples He also says to us today...no matter what, no matter when, no matter where.


                                      DON'T LEAVE ME!

                    Sly hunter-eyes glowed, and I was their prey.
                    They saw me alone, saw me weaker than they;

                    seeking to siphon off all of my peace,
                    to gloat if they managed to make my joy cease;

                    stalking me, taunting, and circling 'round,
                    awaiting the moment for pulling me down.

                    Then, on heavenly steed, He raced up to my side:
                    royal Rider, his Name and his banner flown high!

                    The beasts froze...then uneasily snarled at the One
                    who with only his look left each creature undone.

                    They spun 'round then and scattered, unable to stay.
                    "Why?  Lion of Judah, why did they run away?"

                    "They take pride in their prowess and relish their game,
                    but when I appear, they all cringe at my Name.

                    "When they feel my Power, their bravado grows thin.
                    They know they can't have you; they know they can't win."

                     I hungrily grasped at the promise implied:
                     His Presence my refuge!  "Don't leave me!" I cried.

                      "Please stay with me, Lord; keep your banner unfurled!"
                      He said, "I'm with you always...to the end of the world!"
            
                                             ********************                                  -Becky Rhon

That's what He said to his disciples.  I suspect He also, on a human level, felt a little sadness at leaving these men who had been his closest friends and allies. He knew how they felt...it would be a challenge to continue the spreading of the Kingdom of God without his physical presence, but He promised them what He promises every person who claims Him as Savior and Lord:

     "And be sure of this - that I am with you always, even to the end of the world." *    
                                                     AMEN!
                                             ***********************
*Matthew 28:20)