Ever been here: you have a major event coming up. So you plan. You prepare. You make your list and check it twice. No detail is left undone. Then, in a momentās notice, everything changes. Circumstances force a change of schedule. Suddenly, it makes no difference how hard you worked. Everything is on hold.
For the past two and half weeks, Iāve been hard at work preparing to begin videotaping my Legion Bible study teaching series. The open door to begin filming was a huge answer to a long-awaited prayer. Production was scheduled to begin tomorrow. Then . . . lightning struck. Literally. Overnight, hundreds of fires broke out from one end of the state to the other. Between the smoke and risk of evacuation and/or power outage, the video producer and I realized we had no choice but to nix the scheduled video shoot.
When Life Seems Overwhelming
As difficult as the decision was, I knew there were people dealing with far worse: homes threatened by fires, first responders battling the blaze. As I was praying today for protection over the homes in harmās way, the firefightersāand for rain (it seems impossible to see rain in the middle of heat wave, but I am asking anyway because God is the God of the impossible)–as I was praying, I lamented over all of the devastation: the homes in danger; the lives at risk. Then my mind went to all of the people suffering because of the pandemicāthis, on top of the economy being hammered by lockdowns . . . It all seems so overwhelming.
But God is Bigger
But then I remember: we have a big God. We can trust He is workingāeven in the midst of all the chaos that is swirling around us. Jesus said,
āMy Father is working until now, and I am also working.ā (John 5:17)
And so I found myself praying for revivalāfor hearts to turn back to God in the midst of all the chaos. To seek Him when all seems lost.
If we put our hope in this world: whether in our health, or home, or a 401k, things can change in a momentās notice. It is times like these when we are reminded that there is only one true, everlasting hope–and it can only be found beyond this world. In this life, nothing is guaranteed, but God is the āsame yesterday, today, and tomorrow.ā When we put our hope in Him, we will never be disappointed.
He Is Our Hope
- Psalm 91 (when in need of comfort or reminder of God’s protection)
- Romans 8:31-39 (when in need of courage or perseverance)
- Ephesians 1:3-14 (when in need of an eternal perspective)
What are some of your favorite āgo toā Bible passages?
UPDATE: Woohoo! The video production is complete! You can order the video seriesĀ here!
Shadia is a passionate Bible teacher, author and speaker who has a heart for seeing lives transformed by the power of Godās Word. She holds a masterās in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is author of several books and Bible studies.
