Whoever dwells 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.” — Psalm 91:1-2
On Sunday, March 22, we held our first-ever live-streamed service. Many of you joined in live, and I hope that it was encouraging to you. I must thank Kevin P once again for working so hard on this project last week. I also thank Brad Tucker, Jeremy Trivelas, Alvin Lin, and Rachel P, who all made Sunday possible. I personally enjoy new experiences, and from that standpoint, it was actually quite fun. Immediately I received texts from many of you, including family and friends around the U.S. Even friends from Bryansk, Russia, joined in.
As fun as it was, I do pray—like all of you—that we don’t have to do this for too many more weeks. But who knows? As it stands right now, we will continue with streaming services until further notice. In some ways, streaming services directly into your home might open up opportunities to speak to each other in a new way. Stay tuned for more ways for us to gather: prayer meetings, devotional streaming events, and more.
My biggest encouragement to you, in our second week of social distancing and sheltering in place, is actually a plea: Call each other. Connect with each other. When someone comes to mind, call them to check in. Call your neighbors as well, to make sure they are well.
I will be teaching again next Sunday on the powerful scriptures that speak of living under the shadow of the Almighty. Last Sunday, as I taught from Psalm 91, I finished the message by challenging us with this thought:
Maybe this is the perfect moment in time.
We know that God is in control of things. He holds time in his hand. We are the ones who don’t understand the events of the world, and we live in panic and fear. But this could be the perfect moment for us to get serious about truly trusting the Almighty God for every small thing. When we live in luxury or in peace, we tend to be complacent, only partially trusting in the Almighty for the details of our lives. A global crisis that leads to a personal crisis could be the perfect moment to truly lay it all at the feet of the Lord Almighty and see what he can do with your life.
Read Psalm 91 a few times this week, and ask this question for yourself and your family:
- In this “perfect moment,” how can God mold and shape me to be a disciple who totally trusts in him?
- How is God reshaping my life through everything that’s happening now?
- How is God using this time to help me trust him even more?
This coming Sunday, March 29, during our 10 a.m. streaming service, I will be teaching from these passages:
I encourage you to read ahead and consider what God is telling you about becoming a more complete, well-rounded and mature disciple. This is the perfect moment in history to learn these eternal lessons.
Love you all.
