In church we sing lyrics like “How great is our God,” “In Christ alone my hope is found.” “Savior, You can move the mountains." "You’re mighty to save.” “You are faithful.” “My God will come through.”
I could go on for hours with song lyrics and Bible verses about God’s faithfulness that we claim so boldly... and sometimes so easily... on Sunday mornings.
But what happens when church is over? What happens when we leave the church building, get in our cars, and know that the storm is still raging, that the tough circumstances we are wrestling with haven’t changed?
Standing inside we felt so strong, so safe. Now we are standing out in the midst of the storm again. And those songs, those verses? They don't seem quite so easy...
I've been there.
I've stood at the window looking out, not really sure if I want to go back out into a world that seems so messed up, painful, and out of control. And yet... I know I’m not called to hide. Fear cannot run my life. I have to choose faith over fear. I have to walk out of those doors holding onto faith and the promises of God and His word like a shield around me.
The promises we hear from the Bible, from our pastors and leaders, and in the songs we sing aren’t just true on Sundays. The promises of God’s Word are for us to stand on and live out every single day. The lessons we learn in church are practiced and tested when we walk out the church doors. I might even go so far as to say that most of the time, we only hear the lessons in church… we learn them outside. If the lessons and promises we hear on Sundays don’t stand true in the storms of life, than they aren’t true at all.
Truth is truth, regardless of circumstances. How we feel does not change the truth of who God is.
How we are treated does not change the truth of who God is.
No circumstance, no battle, no storm can ever change the truth of who God is and all that He has promised!
God is faithful. No matter what comes at us when we walk outside those doors, we can know that God will see us through. When fear and doubt come and our feelings are all over the place, we can stand firm in the midst of the storm, knowing that our God will come through. Always.
I could go on for hours with song lyrics and Bible verses about God’s faithfulness that we claim so boldly... and sometimes so easily... on Sunday mornings.
But what happens when church is over? What happens when we leave the church building, get in our cars, and know that the storm is still raging, that the tough circumstances we are wrestling with haven’t changed?
Standing inside we felt so strong, so safe. Now we are standing out in the midst of the storm again. And those songs, those verses? They don't seem quite so easy...
I've been there.
I've stood at the window looking out, not really sure if I want to go back out into a world that seems so messed up, painful, and out of control. And yet... I know I’m not called to hide. Fear cannot run my life. I have to choose faith over fear. I have to walk out of those doors holding onto faith and the promises of God and His word like a shield around me.
The promises we hear from the Bible, from our pastors and leaders, and in the songs we sing aren’t just true on Sundays. The promises of God’s Word are for us to stand on and live out every single day. The lessons we learn in church are practiced and tested when we walk out the church doors. I might even go so far as to say that most of the time, we only hear the lessons in church… we learn them outside. If the lessons and promises we hear on Sundays don’t stand true in the storms of life, than they aren’t true at all.
Truth is truth, regardless of circumstances. How we feel does not change the truth of who God is.
How we are treated does not change the truth of who God is.
No circumstance, no battle, no storm can ever change the truth of who God is and all that He has promised!
God is faithful. No matter what comes at us when we walk outside those doors, we can know that God will see us through. When fear and doubt come and our feelings are all over the place, we can stand firm in the midst of the storm, knowing that our God will come through. Always.