Frustration, Sorrow, and Thanksgiving

This week has been full of smaller frustrations, deeper sorrows, and many reasons for thanksgiving.

“Smaller frustrations” include problems with our internet, which I’m trying to resolve today with the help the folks at our ISP. I was leading the service, and the music time, on Sunday. And because it was online, I was starting to wonder if I would even be able to lead. We had someone else “host”, if that made any difference. And God answered our prayer and we made it through. However, it was hard at times to hear what other people were saying as they shared.

The service theme was patience – something that none of us have any trouble with, so we didn’t learn much.

We also had a day without water – thankfully, that hasn’t happened for a while.

Deeper sorrows? Two people that we have known in our ministry passed away this week. One was Juan, who was in the hospital with COVID-19. Some of you have been praying – thank you! Please continue to pray for Juan’s wife, Blanca, and their two grown children. The other was Marcos, who was involved briefly in the church at Jesús María, and later attended our church in Las Palmas. He had had significant health problems for a long time. Please pray for his family as well.

Even so, we have a lot to be thankful for, as we see God work even through these sorrows.

I’ve been studying the book of Matthew over the past few months, and was so encouraged by Matthew 14. Jesus and His disciples had planned for a time of rest, but were followed by thousands. And in His compassion for them, Jesus began to teach them again.

But it was getting late, and they needed food. The disciples suggested that they send the crowds away to go find food (still thinking of that little holiday they had been planning?). Jesus answered,“They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

Oh, sure. We have thousands of loaves of bread here in our lunch-baskets. No problem.

It is a wonderful illustration for me. How do we give so many people in need the things that they need? Challenging times, death, sickness – sorrow. We don’t have the resources. But – our Lord does. So He can say, “Feed my sheep”. And we can – because the resources come from Him. And that includes His Word. We have the food. But it’s not from us.

And finally, the disciples find themselves in an even worse situation – life and death for themselves, in a storm on the sea. This is simply not the holiday they had in mind. And Jesus wasn’t even there.

But just because Jesus isn’t physically present (and He isn’t), does that mean that He is not watching? That He doesn’t care? That He doesn’t have the ability to help?

No, the disciples were still in His hands, and He still had all the resources they needed. Whether for their personal needs, or for the crowds in need. We may not have all the resources. But we know where to look. And His resources are endless and abundant.

Thank God!