Communion with Christ is a certain cure for every ill. Whether it's the bitter wormwood of sorrow or the sickening excess of earthly pleasures, close fellowship with the Lord Jesus will drain the bitterness from one and the emptiness from the other. Live near to Jesus, Christian, and it won't matter whether you dwell on the mountain of honor or in the valley of humiliation. Living near to Jesus, you are covered by the wings of God, and underneath you are the everlasting arms.
Let nothing keep you from that sacred fellowship—it is the choice privilege of a soul wedded to the Beloved! Don't settle for an interview now and then. Seek always to keep his company, for only in his presence do you have either comfort or safety. Jesus should not be a friend who drops by occasionally. He should be the one with whom we walk evermore.
You have a difficult road ahead. See, O traveler to heaven, that you go not without your guide! You must pass through the fiery furnace—do not enter unless, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you have the Son of God as your companion. You must storm the Jericho of your own corruptions—attempt not the warfare until, like Joshua, you have seen the Captain of the Lord's host with his sword drawn in his hand. You will meet the Esau of your many temptations—meet him not until at Jabbok's brook you have laid hold of the angel and prevailed.
In every case, in every condition, you will need Jesus. But most of all when death's iron gates open before you. Keep close to your soul's Husband! Lean your head upon his chest. Ask to be refreshed with the spiced wine of his pomegranate. And you shall be found by him at the last, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Seeing you have lived with him and lived in him here, you shall abide with him forever.
Closing Prayer
Whatever you're facing today—whether bitter sorrow or empty success—the prescription is the same: draw near to Jesus. Not just for a moment. Stay there.