You may hear this in a sermon, but it’s worth repeating. God is good, God loves you, and God wants to be in a
relationship with you! Sometimes it may be difficult to understand, but it is true!
If we are going through tough times, sometimes we can start to ask where God is, or maybe wonder how God can
be good based on what we are experiencing. And yet, no matter how difficult our situation, God is good. God was
good, is good, and will always be good. In all our circumstances God is there with us, giving comfort,
strength, hope, and power. Hold on to God’s goodness and trust that it is true, and God’s light will shine in our
darkness.
If we are living under shame and condemnation, with a low self-worth, it may be hard to accept God’s grace- that God loves us unconditionally. And yet, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139). We are all made in God’s image and have sacred worth. It doesn’t matter who we believe ourselves to be, God loves us and Jesus died for us. There is nothing we can ever say or do that would change that- “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
God wants to be in a deep and abiding relationship with all of us because God is good and loves us. One of the
greatest ways to do that is through prayer. Prayer speaks to God, but then God also speaks to us! In the process, we
become changed, circumstances change, lives around us change. God pours out love upon us and heals our
wounded souls. If we listen and watch we can become aware of God moving in our lives and in the lives of others.
God leads us in his goodness, and we look for opportunities to respond. More and more we live into who God
created us to be, and do what God has called us to do.
As your pastor, I am calling us all to prayer. We will be praying for a breakthrough in whatever way God wants to
move, trusting that God WILL move. If some of us are not in the practice of praying, do what the disciples did and
ask, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Ask several times a day, every day, and then pay attention. God will answer. For
some of us that pray regularly, take the next step- whatever God reveals that to be. Big prayers, bold prayers, prayers for healing- of people, relationships, finances, jobs, our church, our ministries, our surrounding community, and more! Pray for those who needed to hear that God is good and that God loves them, that they will experience that assurance. Pray for our church to be a kingdom builder that transforms lives. Pray for a breakthrough!!
As we deepen our prayer life I ask that you not only notice and respond, but that you begin to proclaim! Start sharing your stories of God answering prayer. I anticipate that they will be stories of breakthrough!!
In Christ’s service,
Pastor Sherry
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