No Worries!

This morning we attended church, as has become the norm, in our bed. Australia is still pretty much on lockdown. 

This time we had at least finished breakfast, showered and had clothes on.  We’re getting good at this.  Well, there was the fact that, just a couple of hours later, Tony would be in the Facebook/Zoom saddle preaching to the Japanese church up in Brisbane, so we were motivated to comb our hair, at least.   

One of the first songs we were invited to sing along with on this live Zoom session was “Oceans”.  There was a collective groan as we remembered that at the zenith of this song's popularity we’d been known to have this put to us three times in one Sunday.  The Japanese version is especially tedious since the translated words just don’t fit to the music and you’re having to do mouth aerobics just to get it out.  

But this morning, I was surprised when the words really touched my heart.  

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves

I remember many years ago, riding in the car as a family, discussing some important decision that memory fails to let me recall………. and at one point I said, “Well, God has never let us down…. yet.

From the backseat came Nathan’s critical teenage voice.  “What do you mean ‘yet’?”

That really hit me hard, much like the words this morning. The question was valid. Do I trust God or not? God doesn’t bring us to a poignant moment and then with a casual “Gotcha”, drop us without a hope to stand on.  He doesn’t ever, ever fail us; we all KNOW that, but do we/I LIVE IT?

These are (still) trying times for us all.  The world seems to be spinning into chaos.  More than one person has asked me this week if this is the ‘tribulation’ God mentions in the Bible (most certainly not).  

I could let myself be anxious.  What if the economy fails like it threatens to every time I turn on the news? What if the crazies get control? And of course what about the virus that is still apparently doing very well?

Lots of things to be concerned about.  But as we look in our Bibles, and sing the songs like we did this morning, we know in our heart of hearts that there is absolutely nothing to worry about because God Does Not Fail.  See also Romans 6:8-10,

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

I wonder what we can do this week to remember that things aren’t so scary as they might seem? I could suggest finding a sulking teenager and take him for a ride while you vent your fears … but you might find, as I did, that he had more faith than I did!

Thanks for listening, Marsha