January 23, 2025
On a recent Sunday, Connie and I were able to attend our home church together and reconnect with some of our friends. We heard a great sermon from Dr. Andy McDonald, who is serving as our interim pastor while we search for our next pastor.
Bro. Andy introduced a sermon series from the Book of Ruth addressing the subject of what to do when life is falling apart. He did a great job setting the text in its historical context while helping the listeners make practical applications to their own lives.
One of Andy’s application points was that when life is falling apart, we must remember who God is in our lives. He was exhorting the listener to think about their relationship with God and how God has chosen to relate to us — His people.
His comment sent me on a tangent of writing out a list of who God is in my life. Here are a few thoughts that came to mind and how they relate to the bigger question of what to do when life seems to be falling apart.
God is my Savior: Romans 5:8 reminds me that God demonstrated His love for me in that while I was a sinner, Christ died for me. When life feels especially challenging, we must remember that we have a Savior. This one fact changes everything. If God would send His Son to save us from our sins, how much more will He be with us in hard times.
God is my Father: One of the great Christian truths that stood out to me as a new believer in Christ was that God became my Father when I was saved. He adopted me into his family and promised to care for me. Being a father myself, I know how much I love my daughters and want the best for them. When life is hard, we must remember that we have a Father.
God is my Lord: When life is tough, I must remember that Jesus is Lord — and that He is my Lord. Romans 12:1 exhorts me to surrender my body to Christ as a living sacrifice. The first thing to do when life throws a curveball is to remember that Jesus is Lord and that He is Lord over our circumstances.
God is my Helper: There are few Bible truths that are more encouraging to born again Christians than the fact that God helps us. We can say with the Psalmist, as recorded in Psalm 121:1-2, I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Can you imagine a greater comfort in difficulty than the fact that the One who spoke the world into existence will also help you in your moment of crisis.
God is my Deliverer: If Connie and I had followed up the sermon with a discussion of all the ways God has delivered us in our 30-plus years of marriage, we would have been able to write quite a list. God has delivered us from hard times and through tough circumstances and will do so again. He is our deliverer!
God is my Sanctifier: In recent years, one of the great Bible truths that has added steel to my backbone and courage to my otherwise weak heart is that God is sanctifying me and that He is using challenging circumstances to do so. I may not love the circumstances, but I am grateful for how my Father continues to shape me toward Christlikeness.
My list was longer than what I have recorded here but enough, I think, to support Andy’s encouragement that when life is hard, we must come back to the foundation of our relationship with God and remember who He is. God is the One who saves us, sustains us, guides us and provides for us, calls us and cares for us, and one day will take us home to be with Him forever.
I recently read an article featuring the spouse of a good friend who was severely injured in an automobile accident and is now going through major life changes. In the article she was quoted as saying how God was helping her through one of the greatest challenges of her life. She said, “I am at peace. That carries me, my faith — I don’t know how people do this without God in their life. Whatever it (the future) looks like, everything is going to be okay.” This is the hope we have in Jesus.
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Todd Gray is executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This commentary first appeared in Kentucky Today.
