God is Faithful and our Helper

Yesterday in our service we saw that God is faithful in his love, in his protection, and in his plan by looking at Psalm 118. One verse that was very meaningful to me as I was preparing yesterday’s sermon was Psalm 118:5: “When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; he brought me into a spacious place.” God’s faithfulness is true even when we find ourselves squeezed or in a tight spot—he will bring us to a place where we have room to breathe.

Later, Psalm 118:13 say, “I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me.” This is a good transition to next week’s focus which is that the Lord is our helper. We’ll be looking at Psalm 121. We look so many places for help, but God is the one who can truly help us when we face troubles in life.

We also had a special guest in the worship service. Bishop Joseph Stuckey (portrayed by Rich Bucher) blessed us with his presence and an encouragement just after his 200^th birthday! He’ll be back for our 175^th anniversary celebration September 11-13. I hope you’ll make plans to be there as well.

As you are reading this, I’ll be starting the third class in my doctoral program at Northern Seminary in Lisle, IL. I’m not too far away, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need.

Remember that after the service next week there will be a short congregational meeting where the stained glass task force will present what they have found. Elsewhere you’ll find two question and answers sessions that will be held where you can find more information. I really encourage you to do your best to make it to one of those sessions. This is going to be an important decision for us to make. I hope you’ll join me in praying that God will give us wisdom as we approach this question.

Yesterday you heard us mention our “candle light board meeting.” I’ve included a picture so you can see what this was like.

I hope you have a great week and hope to see you next Sunday! Think of someone you can invite to come along.

God bless,

Brian

Scripture readings for next Sunday

Psalm 121—Which image in this short psalm stands out to you? Why?

Philippians 4:4-9—How is prayer an antidote to anxiousness?

Isaiah 26:1-6—Do you think the prophet is talking about an actual city? What else might he mean?

Matthew 14:22-33—What difference did Jesus’ presence make for his disciples?