February 19 THE EVER-PRESENT COMPANION "Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20, NIV). Many titles of Jesus are born out of His promises, declarations, and sayings. The "ever-present companion" is one of these. His parting message, "Surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20, NIV), is a great promise that has become the guarantee of divine companionship to God's people. When David Livingstone, the great explorer and noted British missionary to Africa, returned to the University of Glasgow, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree. As He spoke, he looked pale and racked with malaria; one hand hung uselessly by his side, mauled by an African lion. Livingstone's discourse was so eloquent and touching that the audience gave him a standing ovation. After the rousing applause, someone asked him what made him endure the extreme physical hardships that had weakened him in Africa. Livingstone's prompt reply was "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Then he added, "These are the words of a gentleman of the strictest order. He has never once broken a promise." How true are the words of this great missionary! In days of adversity and prosperity, in good days and bad days, when on the mountaintop or down in the valley, we can claim the promise of the ever-present companion. This promise is Christ's reaffirmation of the ancient pledge: "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Joshua 1:5, NIV). Ellen G. White offers this additional insight: "We have the companionship of the divine presence, and as we realize this presence our thoughts are brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. Our spiritual exercises are in accordance with the vividness of our sense of this companionship."--Messages to Young People, p. 159. My Prayer Today: Lord, I thank You for the ever-present companion. With such a companion, I will never be afraid. Amen.