This week, my son, Samuel, came to me crying one morning before school. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me he was disappointed. He had prayed for help understanding his school work, and yet he had still struggled. He had prayed for a sunny day to play outside, and yet it was pouring down rain. Every night he prays before he goes to bed and tells the Lord how much he loves him, yet the last two nights he’d had nightmares that scared him very much. 

I took Samuel and put him on my lap. Then I told him it was ok to feel disappointed and wonder why God had not answered his prayers the way he had envisioned. But then I told him that there are three things he can always know are true, and that I hoped they would encourage him. 

One, God always loves you. Two, God is sovereign, meaning that he is always in control of everything. And, three, God is faithful. If he says he loves you and will take care of you, then you know he will! If God loves me, is in control, and will take care of me as he promised, then I can always know that, whatever happens, God has my best interest at heart, and if I just keep trusting him, I will be OK. He wiped his eyes and through tears stammered, “Ok, Dad.”

Later, when Sam got home from school I could tell he seemed much better. “How was your day, Sam?” I asked.

“It was good, Dad,” he smiled. “I remembered the three things about God.” Ah, to have the faith of a child and have one’s faith so easily renewed!

I hope that the Lord has encouraged you this week. If it has been a challenging week in which you have struggled to remain faithful, then I want you to know that our God knows and understands your struggle. He does not look on you with condemnation, but with compassion and he remembers you! He loves you, He is sovereign, and He is faithful.

I also want to thank all of you in advance for your faith and love which I know you will extend to our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia, to our teens, and to all those we will help through HOPE and foreign missions through tomorrow’s GENEROSITYSUNDAY! Thank you for having a love for God that overflows in generosity.