Like many of you, I have a hard time sleeping from time to time. Last night was one of those nights. The weight of COVID19 and its ramifications, along with the health concerns some of you are struggling with caused me to lay awake for hours. As I lay in bed, though, I prayed. I specifically prayed for God to "fix" this situation, and make everything okay again.

Now I know that God can and *may* answer my prayer in the exact way I prayed it. But what occurred to me as I prayed is that whether He chooses to do that or not, our God is always working to bring good out of every situation. We may not always be able to see that - especially when we're in the midst of a crisis - but I promise you that God can and will walk with you, and will bring you the comfort and strength you need to get through whatever it is you are facing.

And believing that is true is FAITH. Faith is believing in God when you can't see Him and when you can't see the future He has planned for you. Faith is knowing, in spite of everything going on in the world - that we have a God who loves us, and who wants only good for us. Faith is believing without a doubt that what the prophet Jeremiah said is true" "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

I pray you will hold on to your faith today, in spite of COVID19 and everything else going on. God loves you, and so do I!

Pastor Mary