In our daily life and under different circumstances, inevitably we will encounter disappointments when things are not going well or according to plans. These unexpected setbacks make us feel discouraged, downtrodden, and may cause us to lose faith in ourselves, others, and even in our God.
When God touched the heart of the Persian king to allow Nehemiah to return to his homeland of Jerusalem as a minister of the court, the inhabitants were not overjoyed because they have to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to start the work to rebuild the Holy City. Nehemiah was undeterred by the situation, and he rallied the Israelites with faith in God to rebuild Jerusalem in earnest. Replacing the people’s trepidation with encouragement, the whole nation of Israel was mobilized and the rebuilding of the Holy City was completed. Disappointments were replaced by hopes through motivations. (Nehemiah 2:17-18)
When confronted with a difficult situation, we have two choices: we can either resign to the outcome and accept it as the reality; or we can follow Nehemiah’s example to focus on God first, and trusting in Him that everything is possible, and no problem is insurmountable in Him. We thank God that although our church has gone through more than two years of the Covid-19 epidemic, we are able to adopt to online worship. Now online worship is carried out simultaneously with the in-person worship in church. Fellowship meetings and Bible classes have continued in similar fashion without interruptions. We thank our brothers and sisters for their diligence, cooperation and patience as we continue to strengthen our faith. Through new ways of conducting we will restart our English ministries. God’s words will comfort us and remind us to have patience when difficulties and obstacles come. God is faithful and we can rely on His promises. God’s will will be carried out through Holy Spirit’s guidance. Rains will come and go and all things will pass. Only God’s blessings are the best for everyone and will endure forever.
These are God's words that I would like to share with you: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 NIV). Amen!