Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so
(Psalm 107:1–2a ESV).
It has been a month since Lutheran Women in Mission met in convention to experience
the goodness of God and to be encouraged to say so in our life. Well, how’s that going
for you? It is easy for us to be energized and excited, to think about ways we can take
what we experienced and find places to put it into practice, and we tell ourselves we are
going to get after it and just do it. But then, life happens. Busyness becomes a reality,
illness strikes, we lose a job or a loved one, or we just get back into the rhythm of life
and we return to the old way we’ve always done things. Or, maybe when push came to
shove, our fears crept up again and rather than saying something, we froze…we
panicked…we couldn’t find the words to say about how good God is.
Rest assured that if you haven’t been too good at saying so since convention, grace
abounds for the people of God. We may seek out opportunities, we may earnestly
desire to share our faith with someone, but like Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts
8), know that the Lord will set up the opportunities to bear witness and he will give you
the words to say.
Know also that fear is not really needed. We actually have a lot to say, so we are not at
a loss for words, and any rejection of what is said is not a rejection of you. As we have
just come out of the season of Easter, we’ve heard the story of the Ascension our Lord.
He promised His disciples that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Then at Pentecost, God poured out the Holy
Spirit on the Church and equipped His people to do just that – to be His witnesses. That
same Spirit is given to you in baptism, comes to you in the Word, and sustains you in
the faith as you receive the Lord’s Supper. You also are His witnesses in your everyday
life and conversation, empowered and gifted by the Spirit.
And to what do we bear witness? Christ crucified and risen. The forgiveness of sins.
Grace that supports us each day. The hope of life everlasting on the Day of
Resurrection. Joy in the Lord. The blessings of this life and the life of heaven. The list
could go on…we have much to say! God is good!
Be encouraged, then, dear sisters and brothers in Christ. Do not fear, for the Lord is on
your side. Be bold, for He will sustain you. Atrévete en Cristo! God is good! Say so!
Reverend Brian Noack
LWML Senior Pastoral Counselor
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