Trusting in God’s Unfailing Presence
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…2 Corinthians 1:3,4
In reality, life is full of challenges and troubles. There are several sources for the hard things we face in life.
Our own mistakes and foolishness.
The reality of living in a place that is not the way God intended it to be because of our sin and disobedience.
Satanic attacks.
God directed actions and allowances that have a purpose for our good.
Despite the source of our suffering we can be assured of God's constant presence and help for us. A good friend recently suffered a medical emergency and died. In the week that transpired between the medical emergency and his death the family spoke of a deep peace that did not make sense under the circumstances. They could not avoid the angst, sorrow and loss but God showed up big time to help them through this situation.
Robert Bare points out the advantage of being a disciple of Jesus who has walked by faith for many years:
"I think eventually you come to a point in your life where you've seen God come through so many times, in so many different ways that when your plans fail, or a door closes, or a person walks away, you are completely at peace knowing that He has never let you down, that He will never let you down, and what He has planned next, will always be better than what's behind."
In our evangelism and discipleship let's be sure not to paint a picture of the disciple's life being one of utopia but rather a life that will be filled with trouble and challenges but also a life where every tough situation can be a step to knowing the love of God and the presence of God more clearly and deeply than would otherwise be possible.
K R Paton
President