June 13
The Ends of the Earth
All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
For the kingdom is the Lord’s,
And He rules over the nations.
––Psalm 22:27-28 NKJV
Point Nemo may sound like a windswept crag on a remote Island, but it’s actually the name of a spot in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean with coordinates 48°52.5291ʹS 123°23.5116ʹW. Geographically, it’s the farthest place in the world from land, and it represents the solution to the “longest swim” problem: If you fell overboard, you’d start your swim from the oceanic pole of inaccessibility (the official term), some 1,670 miles away from the nearest land.
I marvel at the fact that there are still places on the Earth that are unmarked by human footprints—places in Antarctica, deep areas of the Amazon, parts of the Rub’ al Khali desert in Saudi Arabia, among others. What’s the most remote place you’ve ever been (i.e., miles from civilization)? For me, it’s probably the mountains of Kazakhstan. When I am in a place like that, it reminds me how small I am and how big the world is. There’s a quiet reassurance, though, that in the middle of such isolation, the Holy Spirit is with me.
Jesus’ last words on Earth are both a reassurance and a mandate:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ––Acts 1:8
Whenever I’m in a desolate place (geographically or otherwise), I think about what Jesus said. The amazing thing is that no matter what end of the earth you travel to, Jesus is there. Even if you sailed to Point Nemo, boarded a deep-water submersible, and descended 2.7 miles to the ocean floor, His love would travel with you.
Man of God, no matter how isolated you may be—perhaps you feel that way emotionally or spiritually—Jesus is right there. In the anxiety, the worry, the pain. Close your eyes and picture that remote spot I asked you about. Got it? Now imagine opening your eyes in that spot and Jesus is standing next to you. That’s reality, actually. Pretty awesome, right?
Father, thank You for never leaving me or forsaking me, no matter how far I feel from You. I know that Your love has no bounds, and that whatever I’m going through, You are there to help me through it.
It is quite reassuring to know that where ever in the world you are, God is still there covering, guiding and protecting you from the wild’s of the adversary.
Thank you Lord, that you are a omnipresent savior.
Now that is beautiful reassurance. No matter how far away I feel, Jesus is right here. He never leaves our side. That’s reality!! 😂😂😂
Thank you God for sending your son to be with us always. I pray everyone believes
The mountains of Kazakhstan sound like an amazing place to reflect on the size of the world. It’s so easy to forget how small we are in the grand scheme of things. I’ve had similar experiences in the Rocky Mountains, where the vastness of the landscape made me feel incredibly connected to something larger than myself.
I can really relate to what you said about the mountains of Kazakhstan. Being in a remote place has a way of making you feel so small, doesn’t it? It’s interesting how places like that offer a kind of peace and perspective that you can’t get anywhere else.