He Will Carry You. John 20:19-23 NLT

John 20 NLT
Jesus Appears to His Disciples 
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” He said. 20 As He spoke, He showed them the wounds in His hands and His side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again He said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 

Can you imagine their joy? Jesus standing in front of them! This after they watch Him arrested, beaten, crucified and placed in the tomb. They had probably been close to giving up hope, struggling to keep their faith and now, here He is, right there with them! What a joyous time they must have had! 

When we have no joy, no hope and our faith is getting thin, we can assure ourselves, Jesus is standing there with us. We just have to look for Him and take His hand. He will walk with us through the darkest night. He will walk with us through the rocky storms. And when the time comes, He will carry us through. 

Footprints in the Sand
 One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
            Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
                 In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
                      Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
                          other times there were one set of footprints.

                                 This bothered me because I noticed
                               that during the low periods of my life,
                            when I was suffering from
                        anguish, sorrow or defeat,
                    I could see only one set of footprints.

         So I said to the Lord,
     "You promised me Lord,
        that if I followed you,
            you would walk with me always.
                  But I have noticed that during
                         the most trying periods of my life
                                there have only been one
                                      set of footprints in the sand.
                                          Why, when I needed you most,
                                         you have not been there for me?"

                                The Lord replied,
                         "The times when you have
                 seen only one set of footprints,
         is when I carried you."
                                                  Mary Stevenson

Have a Blessed Sunday, Cecilia