Brothers and Sisters Throughout the World

In times of stress, it's only human and very easy to think we are the only ones experiencing difficulty. With COVID-19, perhaps for the first time in awhile, we are easily reminded the entire world is in pain. 

Today is the National Day of Prayer. What a good thing! You might ask, "Where is God when we need Him?" That's a question we ask ourselves over and over. That answer can be found in my article here. If you don't understand why God allows difficulty, take a look or let's talk about it.

Once Jesus returned to Heaven after being crucified for our sins and resurrected to life on the third day, He left the small but quickly growing group of believers in a world where many hated them, drove them out, put them in prison, or killed them. The disciple Peter (who's famous for many things but also for denying Jesus three times) wrote this letter to the followers of Jesus:

“And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand  by casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.  Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering.”  (I Peter 5:6-9)

Did you catch that? We have a god who cares for us! And, as perhaps a precursor to today's world, there's a reminder to stray strong and remember people all over the world are suffering. If our times are not a good enough reason to be in prayer to the One Living God Jesus Christ, well, I don't know what is!