Great Commission Churches

October 2009

Dear Sisters,

"And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is his treasure." (Isaiah 33:6)

In the midst of life's changes, how comforting it is to know that our God stays the same. No wonder then, the psalmist so often describes the Lord as "my Rock." Our writer this month is finding her stability and contentment in God. Where changes initially brought her tears, she now is finding joy and contentment through claiming and believing promises from His unchanging Word.

So, whatever our "times" bring along, let's allow Him to be our Rock and our stability. Then we can stand firm and strong no matter what comes.

In Him,

Sandy Hopler

He Is Still There

by Virginia Biang (Glen Arbor Community Church, West Chicago, IL)

Several years ago, I remember listening to a song with the following lyrics:

"But I welcome the change like I welcome the rain, for nothing has grown in a long, long time."

I don't remember who sang it, but since I'm a person who is oftentimes not excited about change, I appreciated the song. I have found, however, that without changes in life, we become stagnant and do not grow. This principle has become apparent once again in my life.

Last fall we suddenly found that we had a virtual "empty nest." Our oldest son was married, the two next oldest boys had rented their own house, and the youngest son had moved to Kansas. Only my daughter was at home and she worked full time and was busy most evenings. Suddenly I found myself with hours of time by myself in quietness, and I will admit that I did not like it very much! When the kids were all young, I remember longing for some peace and quiet, but when I actually got to that quiet time in life, I felt like I was living in a desert. As the oldest child in a family of five, there was much companionship and activity in my childhood home. Since I had home-schooled all my own children until their mid-teens, there was always noise, chatter, and music around the house. The sudden quietness and time by myself seemed very foreign.

As I was praying about this (with a few tears), God reminded me of His promise in Isaiah 43:19, "I will even make ... rivers in the desert," and Isaiah 51:3, "The Lord will comfort Zion ...Her wilderness He will make like Eden and her desert like the garden of the Lord." It helped me a lot to start looking for the streams of water in my "desert place." When I started to look, I actually found some! I no longer have to be so rigid with the use of my time. I enjoy being more relaxed and moving at a slower pace. When my husband wants to talk, I am not distracted by what I need to do next. My quiet times are longer and fuller. My small communications with God are becoming more numerous and I've even started doing some memorizing. (What a shock!) Along with this, I am not as limited in the times I can meet with and encourage others.

In Psalm 106:24 God talks about how the Israelites "despised the pleasant land." It was very easy for me to want to go back to the way things used to be and despise the pleasant land that God was giving. The Israelites kept wanting to return to Egypt and would not enter the promised land. How often I am like that! I keep looking back with longing to a time and place that is comfortable and familiar rather than moving on and embracing a new and unfamiliar land.

And now, after twenty-one years in Chicago and thirteen years in our present home, we are going to move to West Lafayette, Indiana (Purdue University). What a stretch this is for someone who doesn't even like to have her furniture changed in the living room! As we have prayed about this, God has been very faithful to show His truth.

Psalm 84:5 says, "Blessed are the people whose heart is set on pilgrimage." Twenty-nine years ago, I linked my life with Chris' to journey with him wherever God sent us. Somehow, when we got to Chicago, (particularly after we built a house), my heart forgot about the journey. I settled in and was content to stay. However, now that the kids are adults, God wants me to pack up my tent and continue with the pilgrimage. As a result, He promises blessing on my life. It is difficult to think about leaving our present house. We built this house to accommodate my physical challenges and it is easy to think about staying in this house that meets my needs. But Philippians 4:19 says, "My God shall supply all your needs." Just as God has provided here, so He will provide in the next place as well as any place we will be in the future. "Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." Matthew 6:32

Most importantly, as my life circumstances change around me, I have been especially comforted by contemplating the stability of God. No matter what happens, He is there. No matter what changes occur, He is still there on the other side of the change - immovable, constant and eternal. Even after the biggest change of all (death), He will still be there. Hebrews 13:5 says, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," and also in verse 8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

My situation (multiple sclerosis in a scooter full time) is a little different from others. My ability to get out and interact in the Gospel is somewhat limited. Our plan in the future may include having room for college age women to live with us, where I can continue to have relationships and a place to serve. So, we are choosing to open up the nest once again.

What will be the result of all these changes and transitions? He promises blessings, provision, pleasant lands and His never-ending presence and help. Psalm 73:26 says, "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." He is what we inherit and what we will get in the end. When we die, we will not be sorry about the changes He has brought into our lives.