Two months ago, March 2020, when the world strained under the uncertainty of a tomorrow and fear rose up to cause even the strongest to be a little shaken, I wrote a song. As I wrote it, I reminded myself that God is still God. I reminded myself that He is still good.
When I read through the bible, I see that this earth has been shaken before. If I go all the way back to the days of Noah, we find that the death toll literally wiped out the population of the Earth. Everyone was literally washed away from the face of the earth, with the exception of Noah and his family. His life was spared because in the midst of all the evil, that was the virus of the day, he was righteous in the eyes of God. He was obedient even when everyone else thought he was a maniac. I mean, who even understood the concept of rain from the sky that would cause a great flood? They had never seen that before. Isn't that familiar and relatable to today? Death tolls in the thousands across the World, wiped out by a virus we have never seen before. Some people may be tempted to ignore and dismiss God even with the evidence of His existence right before their eyes. He is still God in spite of their unbelief.
As I said there are so many people who endured so much before we even existed to show us how to stand in the days of trials and great hardship. I think of men like David, whose life was threatened time and time again because of the jealousy, greed and pride of others. I can consider Job, the servant of the Lord that lost everything as God tested and refined him. I think of Jeremiah the prophet who endured so much to do the work of his master as it was like fire in his bones that could only be quenched by his obedience. I think of
Daniel and the three Hebrew boys, Peter, Paul, Silas, Stephen, James, John, John the Baptist and so many more. For some, relief was as swift as a walk accross to bring recuse and calm the storm. For others, the time of suffereing was long and hard with seemingly no earthly relief under the soverignty of God. Yet, God is still God.
It didn't matter what they went through, poverty, beatings, sickness, mocking jeering and even unto their own death, they maintained that God's deity didn't change. He was never less than God. They were still awed by His enormity. They still reverenced and adored Him. They still served Him and worshipped Him. God was still God for them.
I believe that we can take that lesson and apply it to our everyday. It feels like these days will not end and it is fair to ask where is God? I don't think He minds us being honest and unmasked before Him. However, I am encouraged that He is still Himself - unshaken by these days and still the rock and salvation upon which we can stand our ground. He has not diminished in His power and greatness. He is still God; still secure, still faithful, still merciful, still trustworthy, and still able. Yes, let your heart be stout and enduring as you hold fast to the truth of this word - God is still God.
