“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?” or ‘What shall we wear?’ …your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
Matthew 6:30-32
At 97 years old she had watched everything she and her husband worked for and built, floating away in the river from the devastating hurricane Helene in the North Carolina hills. And yet, the next morning she smiled and started to sing to Jesus. She was cold and had to be held up behind a tarp to use the restroom, and yet she still smiled and sang to Jesus. It will take a minimum of 18 months for power to be restored, she still smiled and sang to Jesus. She ate food damaged by debris-filled river water for a week to survive! And yet, she still smiled and sang to Jesus.
When I saw a picture of her sitting outside in an old lawn chair, her frail body covered with a quilt, my soul ached for her but also rejoiced in her faith. The verse from Matthew 6 where Jesus exclaims “O you of little faith,” could not be said about this dear believer. She simply utterly trusts Him to care for her no matter the circumstances or outcome. She knows there is something greater going on and she shows us how to live in His power in the midst of the storm.
Never having been in this kind of situation, it made me wonder how I would react. Would I despair or trust? Would I smile and sing? Would I have ‘little faith’? Lord, may I have BIG faith because of who You are?
At the end of the passage from Sunday’s sermon, there are two commands:
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Do not be anxious about tomorrow.
If obeyed, how do those two commands make for ‘Big’ faith?
What would you want to follow your ‘And yet’ in similar situations?
May the Lord bless your pondering!
Francie Overstreet
EFCC Member