Mark 16:20

This is the final verse of the Gospel of Mark, closing the story of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. After Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples, he told them to go and preach the good news to everyone, everywhere. What this verse describes is the beginning of that movement: ordinary people going out into the world, and God showing up alongside them — confirming the message through 'signs,' which in this context means miraculous works like healings that authenticated what they were saying. 'The Lord worked with them' is a striking phrase: not ahead of them, not behind them, but alongside. This is how the early church began — not with strategy or resources, but with people going, and God accompanying them.

God, I confess how often I wait until I feel equipped, certain, or confident before I move. Forgive me for the steps I've held back. Go with me today into the ordinary places of my life, and do what only you can do. Amen.

The word 'everywhere' is quietly staggering. These were fishermen, a former tax collector, people who had hidden behind a locked door just weeks before out of sheer terror. And now they went — everywhere. What's remarkable isn't just their courage, though courage was required. It's that small word: *with*. The Lord worked *with* them. Not clearing a perfect path ahead, not mopping up mistakes behind — present tense, active, right alongside. That changes the picture entirely. You're probably not being called to preach on a street corner today. But you are walking into something — a hard conversation, a neighbor's driveway, a hospital waiting room, a message you've been putting off for weeks. And the same Lord who accompanied terrified, ordinary people into an uncertain world? He goes into those places with you too. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to feel ready. The promise isn't that you'll be impressive — it's that you won't be alone.