Good day beloved
I trust as you read my letter today that all is well with you and that you are doing great amidst the huge challenges of our day brought about through the Corona pandemic.
I came across an amazing story a few days ago and the story is about the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras in South America; a region notorious for its hurricanes. The Honduras government decided in 1996 to build a 484m bridge over the Choluteca River. A Japanese company was given the contract and in 1998 completed the bridge. It was built to withstand the harshest weather conditions imagineable. When it was opened to the public and people drove from the one side to the other they marvelled at its brilliance and said: “Built to last forever. “
What the people of Honduras didn’t anticipate was that one of the most devastating hurricanes of all times, Hurricane Mitch, came to the seashores of Honduras and destroyed nearly everything in its path. Nearly 22000 people died and 7000 people lost their lives in the vicinity of the bridge.
Every bridge in Honduras was destroyed except one, the Choluteca Bridge. There was just one problem. Everything on the two sides of the bridge was swept away and the bridge was standing all by itself. No roads leading to it or leaving it. It was standing in no man’s land but not only that, the river once running underneath the bridge has changed its course and was now running next to the bridge. A brilliant metaphor for the situation we all find ourselves in during this time of our lives.
Who could have ever imagined at the beginning of 2020 that all our lives would be turned upside down as they have been? It has been a hurricane, in a sense, that has left us, as believers, as lone bridges in no man’s land with no road coming or leaving us. What a challenge!!
The question that I kept asking myself was: “How do I handle this or how do I cope or deal with this challenge as a believer”?
My dear readers, I would like to share with you three principles that God has reminded me of and that I have started to apply to my life. I hope that they will encourage you too, as much as they have encouraged me.
No 1: Calm my Soul
I urgently needed to calm my soul down. I needed to shut my mouth for the time being and be quiet instead of being busy and active on social media and in conversation talking about the devastation and about the negative things surrounding me.
Ps 62:5 says: “My soul, wait thou in SILENCE for God only; For my expectation is from Him.”
So, dear readers, while we have no idea of what the next thing awaiting us is, according to scripture it would be wise to become quiet before God and wait on Him instead of allowing our mouths to go wild with the things that we speak from it.
No 2: Take Trusting God to the Next Level
I had to take my trust in God to a higher lever.
Ps 31:13-14 “For I hear the whispering of many – terror on every side… But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
As we find ourselves in these amazingly challenging times, as believers, we ought to be able to cry out to God like a David and say: I trust YOU, God!! You are MY God!
I don’t know about you, but fear is always close by my side and especially in troubled and uncertain times as these, we tend to allow fear to grip our hearts.
Hear what scripture says in Ps 56:3 “When I’m afraid, I put my trust in You.”
Friends, it’s ok to fear sometimes, we’re all human, but this is the time to trust in our God as we have never done before.
No 3. Rise Above It
How will we not only cope with our present situation but also be able to rise above it? Again scripture has the answer.
It’s written in Isa 40:31: “They who WAIT for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”
The answer is so clear: He who waits on the Lord! We ought to not only shut our mouths for a while and trust in Him but also wait on Him. Friends, God is still in control over all of our lives and He is our God who is able!!. Well, we could all say: “It may be easy to just say be quiet, trust and wait, but scripture says “we will run and walk and not faint.” Where do you suppose we should go? Or where do you think we should run to? I’m stuck!! I’m like this bridge in no man’s land and going nowhere? No road connecting from or to me … where shall I go?
Well, we could all say this, but may I encourage you that our Father has given us a promise and whilst we’re sleeping and wondering about tomorrow and what it would bring, He’s busy on our behalf to establish something new.
Isa 43:19 says: “Behold, I am doing a NEW thing; NOW it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I WILL make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert!”
Wow… our God will always make a new way where there seems to be no way. May I encourage you then as I end my letter to you to hold on, let’s keep quiet for a while, let’s put our trust in Him as we wait on Him and while we’re praising God anyway… He is surely busy restoring our highway and He is setting us up for a better tomorrow. After every storm there is a calm and in this calm God has put things in place for each one of us who love Him with all our hearts.
May our Father keep you and bless you and whilst you’re standing, open your eyes for there is a new day dawning.
We love you dearly.
– Ps Roland and Denise