Trust and Pray

Here we go again!

Just when we thought things might be getting back to a new normal, things seem to be getting worse. Covid has raised its ugly head again, forest fires are still burning, the air is bad, flooding is still on the rampage, people are still getting shot, racial strife is on the rise, and I could go on. But I won’t. Instead, let us focus on where we can find peace and some answers.

I know a lot of us are asking what we can do to make a difference in all this. This is, indeed, an uncertain and unstable world we are living in. We need to turn to the certainty and solid foundation of God’s truth and live His Word.

Let us take a quick look at the Old Testament Book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.

He went through many frustrating “ups and downs” as God’s people would praise God one minute and turn their backs on God the next. To Nehemiah, his world was in chaos, just as our world seems to many of us right now. He would get angry and lash out.

However, by the end of the chapter he remembered all things are in God’s hands and prayed to Him.

“Remember me, O my God, for good”. He was saying, “use me…work through me. Use me to make things better.” Can we pray that same prayer to God ? Of course, and we should! When we just worry and stress, we play God. When we are the desert, God is the river.

Finally, let us not forget Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. Let us trust and pray that God will bring good out of all the chaos that our country is now experiencing.

Jan Knicely, Associate in Ministry emeritus

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church