God Has Not Changed

Photo: Sam Schooler/Unsplash

 

by Teresa Taylor Williams

For this edition of Praises in the Pandemic, the Lord simply instructed me: Remind them who I am.

·        I often hear, “God has forgotten us. He’s letting this world go to pieces.” The Word says: God can do anything but fail! He faileth not. Zephaniah 3:5

·        The media reports, “The pandemic…unemployment…civil unrest…doom and gloom! Will things ever get better?” God says: Is anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18:14; Nothing is too hard for God. Jeremiah 32:17; Is there anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27

·        We might say, “There’s so much bad news.” The Bible says, All things work together for good to those who love the Lord, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

·        Many say, “I’m weary… I can’t go another day.” The Word of the Lord instructs us to draw strength from Jesus. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Indeed, our country and our world are rapidly changing. Sometimes it seems like the world is out of control. But we can take comfort that the Lord hasn’t changed. He is still on the throne! Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

God is still in control, regardless of what we see. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

In COVID-19 and Social Unrest: Where is God?

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by Teresa Taylor-Williams

He’s right here. He’s where you are. He’s everywhere.

During these unsettling, unpredictable times, some may be questioning where He is.

They might be questioning how He can allow such confusion, chaos and sickness in our country and in our world.

But He did not say we would not have problems, loss, pain and suffering. But He did say to trust and believe in Him. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

He said that He not only IS our strength (The Lord is my strength and my shield. Proverbs 28:7), but that He would give you strength to endure (The God of Israel is He that gives strength and power to His people. Psalm 68:35).

He said He would give you peace, not the kind the world gives, but the kind of peace that only He can give (And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7).

My assignment is to use this blog entry to bring readers assurance. To remind readers who He is, that He is still in ALL control. It may look like a man or a force or an entity is control, but they are not.

Assurance that He is omnipotent=all powerful. (And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Revelation 19:6)

Assurance that He is omniscient=all knowing. (For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. I John 3:20)

Assurance that He is omnipresent= everywhere. (Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Psalm 139:7)

Assurance that He has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8)

Assurance that He is still God, that He is God all by Himself.  

God is in control. He is our hope, our glory, the lifter of our heads.

Although this writer is weary, she still believes You, still loves You, still trusts You.

My hope is in Christ. Have Your way, Lord.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we need You and our country needs You. Show Yourself strong, oh Lord. Where there is weakness, mental fragility, exhaustion, gird us up. Strengthen us. Give us the will to journey on. We are soldiers in Your army, the Army of the Lord. May Your Holy Spirit and Your peace fill our land and saturate our world. In the name above every name that is named, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Comforter in Isolation, Quarantine & Tornado!

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(16) And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever… (18) I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:16, 18

 By Teresa Taylor-Williams

About 10 p.m. the other night, a tornado was sighted just outside of my small Kansas town.

As the ominous sirens outside grew louder, I felt fear building up.

This is just great, I thought. If Coronavirus doesn’t take me out, a tornado might!

I called a friend who flatly reminded me: “Well, what’d you expect? You live in what we call tornado alley.”

            Gee, thanks for the sympathy and the gentle reminder, buddy.

            All of a sudden, I felt very alone.

            It was bad enough I was battling COVID-19 in isolation. Now this?

            And this may sound shallow, but I felt sorry for myself. I thought of all the couples and the families who had one another to cling to in this time of emergency.

            I had no one.

            I was suffering and no one cared.

My mother always taught me that suffering is part of life. “No one said we wouldn’t suffer,” she’d say. Essentially, suck it up, buttercup.

I watched the news from the floor. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the tornado veered off in another direction.

Thank You, God, for being with me, I said to myself, as I drifted off to sleep.

“Yes,” He gently reminded me, “I am here. I have always been here.”

At times, living with COVID-19 was not easy.

It was uncomfortable. Chills, congestion, serious body aches, extreme fatigue, dizziness, loss of taste and smell.

It was scary because, well, this virus can be quite intimidating. Particularly when you hear the spiking numbers and see news clips of folks fighting for their lives in hospital beds.

And isolation and quarantine can be lonely. There’s nothing like living in a town full of your relatives and knowing you can’t see any of them…for your safety and for theirs.

But if there is one great thing I can take from this Coronavirus experience, it’s those sweet moments where the Lord reminds me that I am not alone.

Abide in me, and I in you. John 15:4

Reliable. Consistent. That’s God.

He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

 At my old church in Michigan, I have many favorite hymns. I lean on this one: “Jesus is my all and all. Without Him I know I surely would fall. He picked me up, turned me around, placed my feet on solid ground. And that’s why, He’s my, He’s my all and all.”

I just want to assure people, and in the process remind myself, that God is real.

He is a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

And He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

He promised it. I believe it. That settles it.

 “Sometimes you have to encourage yourself. Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test. And no matter how you feel, speak the Word and you will be healed; speak over yourself, encourage yourself in the Lord.” Encourage Yourself by Donald Lawrence & the Tri-City Singers