“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Matthew 18:20 (NAB)
Once in a while, I hear an older song, that I forgot about. One day I listened to an old hit country song by Garth Brooks, “Friends in low places”.
The song is typical of most country songs, about finding refuge from a romantic break up, by going to a bar called the Oasis, and hanging out with old friends. It goes on about how the whiskey and beer chase all the blues away.
As I listened, I amused myself by changing all the lyrics, and turning it into a Christian song. The friends who share our faith are in fact, our friends in high places, not low. Based on what Jesus promised in today’s scripture, where two or three gather in His name, He is in their midst.
If He is in our midst just by gathering together and agreeing together in His name, it puts us all in very high places with Jesus.
Every time we agree in prayer with other believers, He is among us, in Spirit, which is like having a bit of heaven in our midst.
Our Oasis place of refuge is not a tavern, but anywhere we can agree with others who believe with us in prayer. The power is in our prayer, not the place, because Jesus will join us anywhere.
Whiskey and beer doesn’t chase the blues away, but the blood of Jesus and the power of His Spirit does. How blessed we are to have the Son of God tell us, “Wherever two or three are gathered in My name, I will be there with you”. It’s our true refuge and our oasis, because every Christian friend is a friend in high places, through the power of Jesus’ name in prayer.
Thank you Jesus, for giving us friends in high places. You gave us your church and the promise of your Presence, wherever we gather and believe together on any one thing, all through your powerful and holy name. Amen