Dear CrossNet Baptist Family, I am praying that you are staying spiritually and physically healthy during these difficult days. God’s Word tells us that trials can actually be times of incredible growth…a time when God does a new thing in us. He says “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19) The Lord’s answers Habakkuk’s complaints, “Look at the nations and watch – and utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5) This time may feel like a desert to you. But may our God make it a place of springs, where his living water flows in us and through us! He loves you, and your brothers and sisters in Christ love you. We will worship together in the new heaven and earth, with glorified bodies, forever. In the meantime, let’s pray that will use this COVID-19 trial to shape and form us into the image of Christ, pouring out his Spirit upon us, and doing a new thing in us. Some of you have already returned to a church service. Some are making plans as I write to return and others are waiting for a more tragic time when it is safer for everyone to comeback. I am looking forward to the day when I will have the opportunity to join with you and worship again. Let’s pray that it will be sooner rather than later. The prayers of God’s people are so important for bringing an end to this pandemic. Please pray faithfully for breakthroughs on effective treatments and a vaccine. We might not be physically in the laboratories where these things are being developed, but through our prayers we can have a massive impact on the ability of scientists to make these discoveries. Why? Because these breakthroughs will come from God, and God answers prayer. I want to thank each of the volunteers who have worked tirelessly in the recovery from the tornadoes on Easter Sunday. Randy Bonner and the Disaster Relief Team are still laboring in clean-up and they will soon transition to rebuild. Your financial support to CrossNet Baptist Network during the COVID crisis and Tornado Relief work have helped us sustain a busy month of ministry. In His Grace,
This article was written by Phil Taylor and first appeared in the CrossNet Baptist Network newsletter.