“Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the Lord and who esteemed His name.” Malachi 3:16
God has given me the wonderful privilege of calling me to be a pastor. When I hear and read about all that is going on with the corona virus crisis I hear it somewhat different than others might. I’m not a physician though of course their role is so important. I’m not a politician. I don’t try to speak for them, I am praying for them. What I hear and am called to speak to is from the perspective of a pastor. I have been with thousands of people over the last 43 years as a pastor. I’ve been with people on their best days to celebrate God’s blessings. I’ve been with thousands on their worst days, when they didn’t even know how to trust God or what to do in the crisis. What has sustained me and helped me sustain others is a very simple testimony. God has always been there and is the Difference Maker. I understand my calling is to help people’s faith. Faith is the victory that will overcome the evil in this world. That faith comes simply by being sure we put God in the center of the equation of whatever we are facing and going through in the moment. Gerald Brooks says, “Never calculate a problem without putting God in the middle of the equation.”
In Malachi 3:16 God spoke about a book of remembrance. God was pointing to the power and importance of testimony in facing challenges before us. In Revelation 12:11 we learn that last day saints overcame the Hell on earth that Antichrist brought through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. One of the root meanings of the word testimony is “do it again.” In other words, our remembrance of God’s faithfulness helps inspire the faith and confidence that the goodness and faithfulness of God we’ve experienced in the past is something we can count on seeing again, in whatever we are facing.
Over these 43 years I’ve seen our country walk through many things. There was the HIV Aids crisis in the 1980’s. When that first began there was panic because no one knew what this virus was or how it was contracted. In 1999 there was the huge scare about Y2K. Predictions were made that at the turn of 2000 all of our computers and systems like our water systems and so forth would just shut down. In 2001 there was the horrible tragedy of 911. In 2008 there was the great recession. As we went through all of these things. The one thing I can testify with confidence is, “God was there.” God never stopped being faithful. He brought us through, His grace was sufficient. No one knows exactly what is going to happen next in this crisis. We don’t know what the future holds. What we do know is that God is here. I’ve been young and now I’m old, but I have never seen God fail or abandon us. In situation after situation He has sustained and showed His power. Do you have a book of remembrance? Perhaps at least in your mind this would be a good time to start one. What if you begin to recall and maybe even write down how God has been faithful in your life? He who has been faithful in the past will be faithful still again. Amen
Love,
Dale
You can watch a short video about this topic at: https://www.facebook.com/143479478999897/posts/3385873651427114/?vh=e&d=n