I recently went through a rough week. It started with getting sick; it continued with an emotional inner war, that I brought on myself.

What did I do? I fought back. I increased my prayer time. I cried out to God for help. I knew He was there, but at times it felt like He wasn’t. It was so quiet. I couldn’t sleep. This caused anxiety and by the time the middle of the week came, I was a mess.

Again, I persevered. I prayed. I read scripture. I asked God what I needed to do. That night, I surrendered. I let go of what I had been holding onto for far too long. I slept like a baby that night. It shocked me how much peace I had when I woke up the next day.

I heard a song on the radio while I was writing and it reminded me of how God is always at work in my life.

It says, “even when I don’t see it, you’re working; even when I can’t feel it, you’re working, you never stop, never stop working.”

God has never been absent in my life. I may have put Him on a shelf, but He was always there.

That very same morning, I had received an email that I had been waiting for, since signing up for my next mission trip.

I was approved and accepted to go to Rwanda in 2020! Wow! God is so good, and I’m glad He’s patient with me, when I am not.

God never stops. Even when you don’t see anything happening, He’s working!

Isaiah 64:8 - “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

There are many stories of drought and famine in the Old Testament. Israel experienced it. You see heartache and desperation in these stories, but you’ll also see hope and mercy. In the wilderness as the Israelites were walking, desperate for something to eat, crying out to God, God heard their cry and answered. He gave them manna (food) from heaven. Can you imagine walking along and seeing food coming down from the sky?

But, even in the abundance of mercy from above, they complained. They got tired of the same food every day. They complained about not having meat, etc. God got angry at one point and created a fire around their camp.

Have you ever noticed that most of us complain a lot? We complain if we’re caught in traffic; we get impatient when the clerk at the grocery store is new and slower than normal. We get angry at God when He doesn’t answer our prayer in our timing.

I’m guilty of it, but since my first mission trip in 2018, I try to be more aware of my blessings, even in the seasons of drought. God changed me through these mission trips. The people of Peru live as the peasants did in early America. The live off the land, and God provides.

I’m thankful for everything God gives me, every day. Even in the rainy seasons, or when there’s dry spells, God is always there, providing.

Look for favor in your famine today.

Exodus 16:35 - “The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.”

I’ve always enjoyed watching re-runs, the classics from the 50s and 60s; Andy Griffin, I love Lucy.

I even find myself re-reading books that I’ve enjoyed in the past.

I know the ending of the show, the conclusion of the story, but that doesn’t stop me from re-living it again. It’s comforting in knowing the ending.

There is an ending to our own story; our life here on earth. We can’t ignore it. We see people die every day.

God makes us all a promise. If we truly believe in Him, certain that He sent His son to die for us, and confess our sins, He promises an abundant life forever with Him. There’s no end to eternity.

Your body will go back to the earth some day. But, thank God, for those who are His children; we will live with Him forever.

I know the end of my story. Getting there may be difficult (in my eyes) and it may not be carried out as I would like. God holds our future, and our now.

Don’t you want the comfort and peace of knowing if today is your last day on earth, that God will carry you home?

We can all reminisce our past successes; have hopeful thoughts for the future.

What’s your destiny? Are you trusting God with the conclusion of your story?

Believing in God is the easy part; believing His plans are for our good is sometimes much harder.

Psalms 56:4 - “In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

There are some people who avoid paying their taxes. They make good money, but think it’s all theirs; that the government doesn’t deserve to have any of it.

When taxes were born, all working employees were required to report their earnings and to pay the required taxes on this money. If they don’t, they break the law and can face imprisonment. Some are tricky enough to avoid the IRS for years, thinking they’re getting away with it.

I spent my 20s and 30s running from God. I thought if I filled my life with ‘stuff,’ God would leave me alone. I thought I could hide in my anger and depression. I thought God’s got enough people to care for, and I can just block Him out of my plans.

Thank God, He is a loving God; a God full of mercy. But, He’s also a jealous God.

If we find ourselves consumed with worry, afraid the stock market will crash, or bogged down with our own physical issues, we can convince ourselves that we’ll take care of it, and that we don’t need God.

Friends, this is the day you can turn that around. Come out of hiding. God already knows where you are in your life; He knows your thoughts and most of all, He knows your heart.

You can’t hide from God because He is omnipresent; He’s everywhere at all times.

You can run from God, that’s your choice, but don’t think you can hide from Him.

Hebrews 4:13 - “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Whether you’re a track star, a basketball hero, or a gold medal Olympian, one thing is for certain. In order to achieve the goal (winning the game), you must be mentally and physically prepared.

You’ll rarely find someone signed up to run in the New York Marathon, who signed up on a whim.

Most athletes train in some form almost every day of the year. They can’t just sleep in, or miss practices because they’re a little tired. They must have the mental and physical capacity to stay in the game; be ready when they’re called to perform.

As it is with Christians. We too must be physically, mentally and spiritually ready at all times. We can’t take a week off, just because we’re on vacation.

God has called us to be His hands and feet. We can’t do that if we’re not prepared.

Our game plan is all contained in God’s word, the Bible.

We can’t expect to witness to others, if we don’t have the knowledge to do so. But, the best thing about evangelizing to others, is all we have to do is to speak the truth; tell our story about what He’s done in our life, and God takes care of the rest.

Get in the game. Practice and do your best. God’s got this.

Proverbs 16:3 - “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

I’ve seen it in my own life, disobedience to God. Early on in my Christian walk, I shrugged it off, thinking I was just having bad luck. Looking back, I see now that God was trying to get my attention.

I didn’t tithe; didn’t love as Jesus loves and I kept telling myself, “once this or that happens, then I’ll start tithing, giving, loving, etc”. I was basing my future on my circumstances.

I suffered because of it. Broken relationships, financial issues, living paycheck to paycheck, the list goes on.

The good news to all of this is that God NEVER gave up on me. He kept His pursuit on my life, because when I was feeling hopeless, when others were disappointed in me, God stood nearby, waiting to catch my fall.

It didn’t happen overnight, but little by little God started opening doors. I didn’t understand it, but I knew deep in my soul that God was near. He was positioning me for greater things.

I started giving to the church, even while on a small salary. I started giving my time to others and serving where needed.

My outlook on life is different now. I know that if I lost everything, God will be there to take care of me. This confidence doesn’t come from personal status or position; it comes from my relationship with God.

If you think you can do this life on your own, think again. God will get your attention. Satan will put things in your life, so that you question God. The devil can cause you to lose everything; your job, your home, your family.

If this is you, don’t ignore God. Look to the one who gave you life. Look to Jesus who paid the price of your sin. Trust God, He’s in this mess of yours and will see you through it, only if you believe He will.

Psalms 46:1 - “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

As I look back on 2019, I’m thankful for many things, most of all that God is in my life. I’ve made so many new friends, through mission trips with my team, with the beautiful people of Peru and through Evangelism Explosion (group from our church that evangelizes weekly to the lost and broken).

Friendships are precious and something to treasure. My last trip to Peru (Olivos, Peru) brought so many new friends in my life, but more than that, I saw Jesus in each one of them. From the 10 year old Aby, who helped me across a felled log on the river, to Andy, who was always there to catch me before falling in the mud. And, then there’s Rosa. What a blessed woman of God. She took all our muddy clothes, muddy shoes and cleaned them. One pair she even had to stitch back together!

I’m excited for the new year; thankful for what God’s got planned for me. I have already signed up for 2 mission trips and can see great things in the making. I trust God to provide for me financially, but more than that, I’m praying that He prepares my heart spiritually.

My 2020 is going to be full of hope. It will be God’s year to shine through me. I hope to be a part of the great commission and bring the lost to Him.

There are so many people in this world that are unreachable. I want to be a part of reaching them.

God is good and my resolve for 2020 is in His hands.

Proverbs 16:9 - “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

I can remember the year 1999. Some people were prophesying the year 2000 would be the end of the world. Doomsdayers were getting ready for wars, destruction; everything to be destroyed.

Needless to say, some were disappointed when the year 2000 came and nothing happened.

Some came to Jesus because of fear, which is not a bad thing, as long as they kept their relationship with God after the new year arrives.

This year is almost over and 2020 is near. The end of the year makes most of us review the past year. What have we done that’s made a difference? What have we accomplished? Have we made the world a better place, or did we just get through it?

I served on 2 mission trips this year; God has been good to me. My faith has grown leaps and bounds.

I’m looking forward to 2020. Y2k may have come and gone, but instead of being afraid of the future, I’m excited what God’s got planned.

It’s a win/win situation. Stick with God; He’s got your future in His hands.

Trust Him. Allow Him to use you, in whatever capacity that may be.

2020 is around the corner. I say, “bring it!”

Isaiah 43:18-19 - “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”