I tend to be an optimist and believe that together - with the strength of God and others - we can work through many of life’s challenges. One or our staff recently reminded me that it’s also important to recognize our losses and why we are feeling sad and disoriented in times of life change. For many of us in the current COVID-19 situation, we are missing and aching for ‘normal’ and for others and - our families, our colleagues, our sports teams, our friends. We want stability and security. We acknowledge the weight of our pain and suffering before God, and in the midst of it all, acknowledge the God above it all. When it feels like the world is unreliable, we can remember God never leaves us. He is our salvation in every moment. 

Our angst is real. So, also, is God’s strength, the refuge He offers us, and the salvation we have in Him. We will encounter trials. Jesus tells his disciples to expect them. When we face difficult times, how do we hold on to hope? King David knew a few things about suffering. As we read David’s Psalms, we see him fighting for hope. He struggled through threats to his life, country and his leadership, family brokenness, betrayal, the death of a child, and much more over the course of his life. In his writing in the Psalms, we see his incredible strength and an example of how to cling to hope in hard times. Psalms offer an example of fighting through emotional and spiritual difficulty and will help you look to God for hope in hard times. 

Even in our greatest struggles, we can know that God is walking through it with us. (adapted from crosswalk.com)  

Bible reading this week: Psalm 71

If anyone is interested in this Bible study about hope through hard times, here is a link:  https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/encouraging-psalms-hope-through-hard-times.html)