For Such a Time as This

Whenever I am given the opportunity to share how Jesus is working in my life, I always wait and ask Him to work through me or to make known how He wants me to speak. God is always speaking Thessalonians over my life, reminding me to give thanks in all circumstances, as he says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. God knocks this one over my head all the time. I always enjoy writing the multitude of ways I have found Thanksgiving in the darkness, and how God brought me back into the light. But it is a tough assignment right now.

With those unfamiliar, Northwest Iowa recently received record amounts of rain, on top of record amounts of rain, toppling riverbeds and flooding much of the region. So many people lost their homes, schools, churches, and livelihoods in minutes due to rising waters. This latest catastrophe is another in a long list of unexplained disasters and destruction that feels focused on the Midwest. 

It can feel like that sometimes.

We were lucky to have only a little water in our basement, but we have worked alongside many who have lost everything. Where do you even begin?  “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Right……….. but that is really hard.

Reading back a few verses in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11, he says, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as, in fact, you are doing."

Yep, I have seen a lot of that in the past few weeks.  So many people have come forward and helped in whatever way they can, whether it be donations, meal prep and service, trash removal, or cleaning; there are many hands helping lift the literal loads that so many are carrying.

All of this has been on my heart, and I have read through Thessalonians over and over, but as God does, he brought another scripture forward, one that I believe might just be the calling card we all need. I could write a novel on the mountains and pitfalls of parenting in this modern age; I will save that for another time. And again, another story on the pros and cons of social media, but for another time.  One of the ways I navigate both is by using social media well and following several Christian speakers, faithful, solid parents, and Bible Apps so that whenever I choose to go to social media, these messages flood my page, helping to blur out some of the more concerning messages of today’s world. 

One message this week rang clear. “It takes incredible courage to continue to choose faith instead of worry when life has been extremely painful, and nothing makes sense. Keep setting your eyes on Jesus. You can trust Him. He is faithful till the end.”

And my brain, which often works much faster than I can keep up with, thought of Esther.  “For such a time as this.”

If you are reading this, you are here today for a reason.  God has a plan for you and for your life.  He will work through you if you call out to him and pray for His will.  It is easy to be swallowed up by the woes of the day—the heavy, the heartbreak, and the hard.  But these things are not new to God.  If you open your Bible, many of our woes of today don’t even compare!

But WE were made for such a time as this.  WE are here today to carry out God’s will for the world.  The world is heavy, and the world is hard; that is something we know for sure.  When the world is heavy and hard, we cling to God’s promises so deeply.  

For such a time as this. We were made for this day. We are supposed to be here because God NEEDS us. We are here because he created us. We are here to fulfill his purpose on earth, every day.  He didn’t promise us an easy road. He promised us that His ways are good and He is faithful. And that is all the promise we need.

For such a time as this.  This encouragement circled me right back to 1 Thessalonians, reminding me that we do have much to be thankful for. We do serve a good, good God. A God who, when darkness comes, is always by our side to walk us through.