Life is such an interesting journey – it’s full of highs and lows. The highs are exciting and motivating while the lows are draining and often heartbreaking.
One of my beloved worship songs is one written by Brooke Fraser called “The Desert Song”. The bridge says “All of my life, in every season, You are still God and I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship”. The reason I love this song so much is that its words are true every single day. In the highs of life that I experience on the mountaintop, I can sing it and praise God that He is faithful and that He brings favour and blessing to his children. And in those dark times in the valley, I can claim the promise that breakthrough is coming and that through the trials and pain, I am going to learn something that I haven’t yet learned and see God once again show His faithfulness.
Before we started Vantage Church when the vision was in our hearts and on our lips, we had many respected friends and leaders tell us that church planting is the hardest job in the world and that we needed to be prepared for a lot of challenges to come our way. They weren’t saying that to discourage us from the call but to prepare us for what was ahead. They wanted to make sure that we understood what it was going to take – spiritually, emotionally and physically – to make the vision in our heart a tangible reality.
The doors of Vantage have been open for almost 3 months and the journey so far has been a wave of emotion. We’ve had many mountaintop moments in our services and amongst our church community. And we’ve also experienced some challenges that have required us to have unwavering faith to believe that God will be true to His word and supply all of our need and that He will do exceedingly more than we could ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).
I can speak from experience and say that life is tough sometimes. These last few weeks have personally been some of the most challenging weeks of my life. And they have also been an incredible reminder of how God shows Himself faithful in every season. Psalm 24:4-5 says “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.”
God certainly doesn’t send us trials but He does allow them because as it says in James 1:3-4 “the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Trials and challenge develop our character. And if our hearts and motives are pure, He has promised us that we will be blessed.
This season of challenge in my life has been greeted with nothing less than supernatural provision and favour on every side. And that is because we serve a good and faithful God! What the enemy causes for destruction, God uses for our benefit and to bring Him glory.
So, be encouraged. Whatever you face today, know that God is bigger and that He loves you and is moving on your behalf! Just persevere, keep your heart pure and God will do the rest!
