“The Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living”
Dear friends,
The last several weeks have been a whirlwind. My organization, like many others, has had beloved colleagues furloughed, others of us have sat with families whose separation will linger indefinitely, some of us had been met with callousness from church members or friends, and yet I remain confident in this: “[we] will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of living.” (Psalms 23:13).
How can I still believe this? Because over these same last two weeks, over 12,000 Christians have signed on to a statement on refugee resettlement, over 1,000 people have contacted their members of Congress on behalf of refugees and resettlement agencies, and there have been powerful Op-Eds from pastors like this one in my home state of Texas, expressing concerns about what this all means for persecuted Christians.
It is not toxic positivity to see the challenge of this season and count your blessings. To see in the small things – in the gifts from our spouses, encouragement from our family, prayers from our community, the spontaneous financial donations and texts from friends with Bible verses and prayers – that our work matters for the vulnerable, for the church, to the Lord. The bitterness and sweetness of this particular season with this particular cross can co-exist.
In fact, their co-existence might just be how we go on to meet the moment as faithful servants realistic about the challenges we are facing but resolved that, even in the valleys of life, Christ is there and that a valley is by nature the low point between two peeks. Life in the valley may sometimes feel lonely, but we are never alone. I pray God sends you a reminder that your voice, your work, your life is part of a great cloud of witnesses to the Kingdom.
Please join me in prayer for the following:
- Our immigrant neighbors who are fearful and mixed status families needing to make important contingency plans.
- Churches and pastors trying to figure out how to support those in their community and neighbors while holding unity, hospitality and love together in highly partisan times.
- Persecuted Christians, Afghans at risk for their service to the U.S. military, and refugee resettlement agencies who find themselves who are awaiting clarification from our government leaders to determine their ability to resettle in safe places.
In Christ,
Kathryn Freeman
National Advocacy & Operations Specialist, World Relief
