Be Strong and Courageous

By: Pastor Becca Jordan-Irwin

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

 

In May of 2019 I had the opportunity to travel to Ukraine for a Trauma Training close to the border of Russia. All of these leaders are now in the midst of the war with Russia and they are experiencing great fear…It’s normal to feel fear when facing our own death or the deaths of our loved ones. It’s frightening to have to leave your home, belongings and your church and flee to an unknown region in the hopes of surviving the devastating effects of war in your homeland.

 

As Dima and Luba and their friends travel towards safety, they are requesting prayers that they will have food and find fuel at the gas stations. They are asking that God will save the car from breakdowns and that they will be protected from bombs. And then they asked that “God would protect them under His wings.”   Psalm 91 states: “You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust…He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.”

 

I told them that I would ask my family, friends, and church family to be in prayer for them as they go through this difficult time.

 

During this Lenten Season, we are reminded that we have a God who understands our pain and suffering. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be “despised and rejected…a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.”  Jesus was very familiar with suffering; in fact, Jesus was willing to suffer in our place so that we wouldn’t have to…and because of his sacrifice, we don’t have to pay the consequences of our own sin and we have the hope of eternal life. This hope is what enables to deal with life and death…for we know that the Lord our God is with us and with our loved ones…that nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even death! (Romans 8:37). The one who was willing to sacrifice Himself for us on the Cross is the same one who remains with us now…and who will be with us forever. We don’t have to be afraid, for “The Lord our God is with us!”