"The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."  (Job 33:4)

As we enter into periods of transitions and continue to ebb and flow in the newness/uniqueness of life, let us not forget the goodness of God. During this time of turmoil with murders in Zimbabwe, cyclones in the Philippines, earthquakes in China, flooding in Illinois and other parts of our country, fires in California, rising gas prices, and foreclosures, let us not forget Psalms 121:1-3: "I look up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. He won't let your foot slip. He who watches over you won't get tired." No matter how dark the night or how bad the circumstance, as Christians we should never forget who is in control. He is aware of our sorrows and He hears our petitions.

I send this note to you not because I feel you need to read this, but because I needed to uplift those who are feeling downtrodden in this time of strife. For those who are not aware of the undercurrent that is subtly attempting to engulf us, I pray that your spiritual eyes become open so you too may join all of the Saints who are praying for the conditions in the world. In Job 14:1, it states "Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil." This informs us that trouble and heartaches will come, but Christ says, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

We cannot win life's battles without Him. Let us not become so bogged down in our troubles, heartaches, and pain that we fail to acknowledge, "They came to pass." When times get to be tumultuous, Praise God! When we feel we cannot bear up under the pressures of this world, look to God for help. Let's stop trying to nullify the suffering of others by failing to pray for all of God's people. Let us continue to persevere by praising God for what we have.

When our loads become too heavy, and our burdens seem too hard to bear,
Look to the throne of God and cry out to the One who is there.
There is only One ruler of earth, and in heaven above.
There is only one victor’s cry,
It happens when we see Jesus,
And He wipes every tear from our eyes.

The struggle here on earth affords us the opportunity to be examples for those who have yet to find hope for their future.

So stand up Christians, and lift your heads, so that the world that knows Him not, will know our Savior is not dead. We serve He who created all things and Who stated, “It is very good.”

“God saw everything He had made. And it was very good.” (Genesis 1: 31)

Read Psalm 56 for the entire month of July.

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Patricia