Bill
Everything was as it should be. My son was grilling hamburgers. Grandkids were jumping on the trampoline. I experienced, even for a very brief time, God’s Shalom (a rich Hebrew word for peace and wholeness). Everything was as it should be. Everything was in its proper place, performing as it should be. I was overwhelmed at the reality I felt that day. Tears ran down my face as I acknowledged God’s goodness.
SAY TO GOD: “HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME!”
A plane crashed on its final approach into the Colorado Springs Airport. An elder, a friend whose children were in the youth group, and a man attending our church were all on that plane. It was my first Sunday as interim pastor during a leadership transition. As unprepared as I was to handle a tragedy like this, God gave me assurance He would be present with those families and use me and our church to minister to them. It was the most difficult season of my ministry—but it was what God designed me to do for that season.
SAY TO GOD: “MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE!”
I had joked about how easy grief had been since my father passed away. But on Father’s Day, grief settled in for a brutal visit. I cried for 3 months and couldn’t do hardly anything for a year. That ended on the first anniversary of my dad’s death. God didn’t take away my pain but allowed me to find Him in it. I tasted the bitter tears of death—and to a certain extent, failure. When I realized I couldn’t handle it, God’s spirit returned and brought back the joy of life that is truly life!
SAY TO GOD: “GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD!”
Chantel’s mother’s death was relayed to her in gruesome detail. Including her last words: “When my daughter finds out that you killed me, please tell her I forgave you as Jesus did. And she must do the same.” Chantel lived that gospel message out in full! Her husband, father, mother and many friends were murdered the first night of the genocide in Kigali, Rwanda. Yet she lived with a huge degree of grace and forgiveness and humility. I think of Chantal as Jesus with skin on.
SAY TO GOD: “DELIVER US FROM EVIL!”