God has a way of taking our experiences and expectations, and using them to change our perspective about Him. That has happened in our youth ministry lately, and the lessons are making an impact on our leaders and teens alike. As we shared testimonies with each other on Sunday night (Nov. 27), it was obvious that God has been working.
The first thing that was very evident was the sovereignty and providence of God. One story was told of how God provided a house for a family who was experiencing financial trouble. In addition, God sent many church members to help make the move easier on the family. Another story explained that a young man’s mother had to be taken to the emergency room over Thanksgiving weekend because of a severe infection. God spared her life, but she likely would have died had she not received the right care at the right time.
Still another told of how she had run away from home, and God is providing for her through caring family members. Another’s parent needed a job, and God has given this family another opportunity for work and ministry. Another told of losing a loved one recently. Another told of the divorce of her parents. On and on the testimonies came, some causing us to laugh and praise God, and others causing us to cry, and praise God anyway. Yet with each story, the teens were able to say, “God has helped me through this. He has provided. He never stops caring for me.”
It’s one thing to know that God is sovereign. We can usually come to terms with the fact that He knows all and controls all. But when it comes to the providence of God, we have a harder time grasping that. The difference is this: not only does God control all things, but He cares and is intimately involved in working things out for the ultimate good of His people, so that He can receive the most glory.
Through these things, God has taken our eyes off of ourselves, and turned them towards others in need. In September, we spent a weekend retreat learning from video sessions with Max Lucado and Francis Chan that we are made to make a difference, and that we should have courage and develop character to stand strong for Christ. Those challenges have led us to visit a children’s home to play games with underprivileged kids, fill boxes for Operation Christmas Child, donate and deliver food to needy families for the holidays, and spend the day before Thanksgiving serving food and spending time with homeless people downtown.
Even the things we’ve studied from God’s Word recently have emphasized that God is always good and always worthy of our obedience, no matter what the circumstances may be. In Jonah, we saw that God used a reluctant missionary to turn an entire city to Him. In John’s epistles, we saw that our fellowship together is strengthened when we serve God by serving others together. In Esther, we saw that God often works behind the scenes to bring about great salvation and deliverance for people. And on November 13, Jeremy Mattheiss taught us that we can best relate to Christ when we are looking to serve the needs of others, rather than asking, “What’s in it for me?”
I don’t tell you these things to brag on us, but rather to brag on God. We are not good people. And any hope we have of being right with God is found in what He has done for us, not what we might attempt to do for Him. I tell you these things to let you know that God is not silent in our youth ministry. He has caused us to see things with a different perspective. There has been a great deal of pain and loss in our church recently, and it affects our young people too. But these events are causing us to look for Him, and to recognize that we have much to be thankful for, because the King who came once is the King who is coming again.
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