Steve-o's Devo: When things get tough...God is there

When our By the Way group gathered for dinner a couple of weeks ago, something that was shared really struck me. I reminded our group that not only did our leaders pray for all of them, but that we also have many prayer partners who hold By The Way and the people we meet in prayer. Several folks shared how it had been a rough few months, and yet through it all they had a sense of peace and feeling that though things were not going well, it would all turn out alright in the end.

This sense of hope I often see missing from many people's lives. The conversations about how fewer people are coming in to some of the restaurants we visit, how people cannot afford to drive, or afford food, or need to make decisions about healthcare or groceries based on their gas budgets all suggests that things seem a bit difficult for far more of us than we think. Yet, there is a subtle difference when we approach the world as a place of limited resources instead of as a place of God's unlimited grace.

There are plenty of ways we can band together as a community to overcome some of the problems we may be feeling even in our own pocket books. When we gathered around a meal a couple of weeks ago I was reminded again of the bounty that is created when people come together. Most of us in the room would never have taken the time to make the great food we had as one meal, but with a little contribution here and there, suddenly a feast appeared!

Such is the way with God. When we spend more time trying to calculate our every penny, thinking we have little, we lose touch with those around us. When we begin to believe we do not have enough, it allows a little piece of our spirit to be drug down. God is here all around us in the people of By The Way, in the people we meet along the way, in the family and friends we are connected to each and every day. Is it any wonder then that we all feel the need to come together more regularly as we head into May? Whether it is coming together to hear God's word, share a meal, or give thanks for the blessings in our lives, we grow and connect as community. When we look for ways to share with one another, we discover the rich bounty at our fingertips. When things are at their worst, the writer of 1 Peter reminds us that God is stil there, often in the faces and places in front of us.

Has there been a time in your life when things seemed pretty tough? How did you discover God's presence during that time? Where did you witness a sign of this grace in the past week?

Just a few questions to ponder this week.