As I write this blog post, the Middle East countries are involved in another war with each other. Russia still torments Ukraine. Multiple people die every day. Locally, crime is a problem in my city. It is grievous that so many young people are dying. Multiple lives have been changed. Global arguments fill the news cycles. Healthcare workers are exhausted. The common folk who make the goods, buy the products, and feed their children seem to have no voice.
It is not so hard to understand why we human beings cannot get along with each other. Nations believe in different worldviews. Cultures rely on the stronghold of control. Leaders feed into the demon of power. And the message of Jesus about peace and love is reserved only for Sunday mornings.
Yet in spite of how we treat each other, God still watches over us. Those who live with a faith walk feel the comfort of God’s Spirit, even when everything is falling apart. God is the same divine entity who watched over people during other wars and rumors of wars, during the flu epidemic of 1918, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the plagues in Egypt when Moses confronted Pharaoh.
Although our world has considerably changed, God has not. Though our bodies change and we are faced with uncertainties, God is still the same. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is good. He is loving. He is kind. He knows everything that is happening to us within this particular season of life.
Psalm 121:8 reminds us that God is watching when times are hard. “The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.” (NIV).
God is watching when things even out and we feel better. He is watching how we slow down, because our joints hurt. He is watching on the good days and on the bad. He is watching when NATO meets and when families meet. He is way ahead of the news cycles, always hoping we will turn back to him.
Just like a caring mother who watches over her children, God watches over us. He never stops caring about us, no matter how terrible the world turns. God continues to work out the details of our lives and of his plan for humankind.
Today, God might be putting the puzzle pieces together for an amazing miracle. Because he knows exactly how to meet every need. Because he cares about each and every one of us. So this day and every day, remember that the loving God watches over us.
©2025 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
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Check out the Bible study titled: Sustain Us, Oh Lord: Finding Strength When Life is Hard.
Woke up this morning thinking about how humans are the only species on earth that can manipulate their environment or each other to gain advantage for themselves. Selfish advantage. Why did God give us the power to do that? I do not know, but often that power backfires on us to the point everyone suffers. Human conflict leads the stupidity. Ignoring our knowledge of how nature works is another one. Ignoring the past behaviors of the Guadalupe River in Texas is a form of egregious human ignorance that now breaks my heart. I know that river and its past behaviors. So did many others in positions to do something about it….and the tragedy of a few days ago devastates my soul.
Yes, such a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided or at least lessened by careful planning and effective alerts. It’s so sad that we often have to learn hard lessons only after enormous loss.
Thank you, RJ, for provocative, timely insights that bring forward seldom-pondered (it seems) perspectives. Much needed in our day.