God Is Always There!

By Kendrick Gilli

As Christians, we know that not everything in this world is rosy and wonderful. All sorts of things will happen to us, some from our own misguided making and some as attacks from the devil. Satan wants us to be demoralized and to lose hope and our faith in the Lord. He wants us to turn our eyes from the Lord and to doubt God’s sovereignty. However, God knows that we will face those trials, and He has provided us many examples from His word to give us hope. Just take a look at the book of Psalms. Often David cries out during times that seem hopeless, but he also always chooses to turn back to the strength of God.

The day before “snowmaggedon,” Janna was called into her principal’s office and told that she could not teach anymore due to her certificate being expired. In fact, they told her that it had been expired for 4 years, according to OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction). “How could this be?” she wondered. She had thought that she had done everything that she was supposed to have done. Her first instinct was to panic. Without her job, how would we be able to survive monetarily? How could God let this happen? Didn’t He care? It was so tempting to wallow in despair and doubt. But then, the Lord reminded me of a verse in Psalm 23 (Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.). Even in the darkest days, the Lord will be right beside us and will not leave us.

            There are going to be times of hopelessness and despair in our lives, and when we are in the middle of these tough circumstances, we often cannot see how God will help us through it. These are the times when I like to look back on the past, when God has helped my family and me through some very deep waters. I might not be able to see out of my present situation, but knowledge of my Heavenly Father loving me and leading me through past hardships helps me trust in His plan for my future. How many times has the Lord helped guide you through “impossible” situations?

            During those days of snow, OSPI was closed. It seemed to just delay the inevitable. Janna leaned on my hope in the Lord. That is fine, because there have been lots of times when I have leaned on Janna’s faith. In the end, after many days, things were worked out in Olympia. It was just a glitch in the system. Annoying! But it helped remind us of how our Heavenly Father is with us. Sometimes we need a reminder. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord.

            There is a lot of change coming down the pike in Elim. Martin is leaving. We are moving toward a new senior pastor. And we wonder what direction the Lord is taking our church. Is our faith firmly planted in the Lord? Is our hope strong that God will lead us in the right direction? Are we feeling a little apprehensive for the future? Let’s take our own look back at when God walked with us through difficult times and maybe read a few psalms.

Lord, put on our hearts and in our minds that You are walking with us through the good and the bad, the tough and the easy times. Amen.

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