Articles
SOME THINGS DON’T CHANGE
Today marks almost 7 months to the day when our world was turned upside down with the
news of COVID. I still remember my first feeble attempts in livestreaming to let the church
family here know that our doors would be shut for an indefinite period of time. Our first
livestreaming was about 8 minutes in length, growing on a regular basis to include a rather
elaborate “studio” for recording Sunday morning worship and Wednesday evening Bible lessons.
Josh began recording Wednesday mornings specifically for our children, so they would not be
totally left out of Bible class time. But as a reminder, there are some things that just don’t
change.
In March, I challenged each of us to spend more time in God’s Word, allowing Him to guide
us through the difficult times we have faced being apart. The more time we spend reading the
Bible, the more we are reminded of God’s greatness and love, mercy and grace. He has not left
us alone to fend for ourselves during this difficult time. We are reminded of the Lord’s promise
to never forsake us (Heb. 13:5-6) and that He will always be our strength in time of trouble (Ps.
46:1-2).
I also challenged each of us to spend more time in prayer. Prayer is our lifeline to the Lord.
We are encouraged to be always in prayer (1 Thess. 5:17). Hopefully, the more time we spend in
prayer is a reminder that we are weak and unable to right the “wrongs” that we may face on a
daily basis. We do live in challenging times, but we need to remind ourselves daily that the Lord
is with us and that we have nothing to fear because His rod and His staff they comfort us (Ps.
23:4). I would also encourage each of us to spend more time looking for the Lord’s answers to
our prayers. Our tendency is to consider answered prayers based on whether or not they fit into
our plans and expectations. As you read God’s Word, you find that His answers were often
contrary to man’s pleas.
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in
the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” ~Ps. 46:10-11
On a more personal note, a special thank you for your cards, calls, prayers and food during
my recovery time. A special thanks to Mike, Larry, and Kelly as they spoke in my absence. I am
doing better and looking forward to being back to “full strength” soon. ~P. Mowrer
