“Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.”
Proverbs 25:25
This proverb came back to me last week when I read an email from our ministry partner in Sierra Leone. He reported that he had baptized eight new converts last week, and that a new church is being organized in a storefront setting (a room over a bar, no less!). He already has an opportunity to purchase a small tract of land nearby, and create a temporary shelter in which to hold services, if he can raise the money.
This is good news on several fronts, but it is especially sweet to hear, given the insanity going on in our own nation right now. It would seem we are in a spiritual dry spell, with people quite discouraged, the political landscape in turmoil, and the media and social media rife with incessant disinformation. Fear has gripped people, and the ability to dialogue openly about important things seems to have left us as a culture.
Where do you find encouragement? It’s not difficult if you think historically and internationally. Thinking historically means that you realize that history runs in cycles, and “this too shall pass.” Thinking internationally means that you realize the there is more going on in the world than what happens inside The Beltway.
It’s impossible to stay discouraged for long when you consider the reality that God always is at work, accomplishing His will, and drawing people into His Kingdom family. Nothing catches Him by surprise, and not only that, He actually uses even the negative events of our times, turning them into gains for His people.
So, if you are weary of our being stuck in the doldrums, you might lift your eyes and consider what God is doing other places.
“But Jesus answered them,
‘My Father is working until now, and I am working.’”
John 5:17