lifewithdudu

Gratitude to God, my Heavenly Father

Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

My gratitude to God for what has done for me in 2021🙏🏾❤️:

He never stopped loving me,
He never stopped taking good care of me,
He never stopped convicting me with his Word,
He never stopped providing for me,
He never stopped reminding me that he is in control,
He never stopped showing me his amazing grace,
He never stopped being patient towards me,
He never stopped molding and shaping my character,
In times of uncertainty and confusion,
He taught me to trust his will for my life,
For he knows what’s best for me and he always Wins,
He is kind, he is merciful, his love endures forever,
He is enough…. The list is endless….
My heart is full of praise and worship🙌🏽❤️
I can never thank him enough!
He deserves all the Highest Praise!

As the Psalm of David confirms it:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5).

The Joy of Painting

Hello! It’s been minute!

Painting has been a great hobby for me lately. It started few months ago when I wanted to try something different to hiking which is another hobby that I’ve grown to like so much. It is good to have a variety of activities to do for fun, for relaxation and for therapeutic moments. The first time I went for painting was at a place called Art jamming in Gauteng, South Africa. It is such a cool place for people in different age groups and for the first timers like me. Funny enough, I did not have a clue of what I was going to paint, the only thing I knew was the excitement of trying something new and holding some different paint brushes and messing up myself with some paint colors. Fortunately, I went with my colleague’s daughter Halé , who also loves painting and she’s good at it. She helped me with mixing some colors and to check the easy painting for beginners on Pinterest. Finally, I chose the painting which I wanted to try for the first time 😊. Now, the paint brushes, different color paints and the canvas was ready in front of me.

However, the process of getting my painting done was not as easy as I thought except the first part where I had to start with a background color on the canvas. That was easy and fun to do. As the painting was progressing, I started feeling a bit demotivated when I saw people around me made it seem so easy and they were just going with the flow. So, in those few moments, my drawing skills were challenged since I am not good at drawing, but I wanted to try. Well, I can do a perfect drawing in my head but it’s something else when I have to put it on paper or on canvas – ha ha ha😅! Now I was thinking to myself that, actually this is not what I anticipated but I didn’t want to quit until I try. At least that is what was going through my head as I was holding that painting brush and looking at the picture which I wanted to draw. So, I started verbalizing it to Halé and she said, just do it and don’t overthink it, and you don’t have to be perfect. She was so calm and focusing on her beautiful artwork.

And you know what? It was those words that encouraged me to continue with my painting. I also had to remind myself of why I chose to go for painting on that day, and the main reason was to try something new, to have fun and to have a moment of relaxation. Oh, I had so much fun after that! And I was flowing with my painting and feeling so relaxed. Interestingly, I actually liked the final product given that it was my first time doing it, and I’m glad that I did not quit. That’s the joy of painting for me. So, we managed to finish our paintings, we did it yay🙌🏽!

Lately, I started buying some acrylic paint, some paint brushes and some few canvases. I have been enjoying doing it at home as a hobby. If you are looking for a different hobby to do, you may want to try some painting, it is fun and relaxing, and it does require some patience as well, but it is a good sport. If did it, so are you. You can give it a try and you don’t have to be perfect in order to do it. Just do it and have fun :).

Enjoy the read! Wishing you all a Happy New Year 😊

Some Creative Ways to Help Children To Pray

Do you want to try these simple, practical and creative ways to encourage children in your Sunday school or at your Preschool to pray? You will need to use what you have around you to make it work. For pictures, you can also use a magazine or newspaper, it will work perfectly fine. These are just the ideas, you can do it your own way that will fit your context.

Tins and colored Stones

Yellow	Sun, mielies, custard
Green	Grass, trees, nature
Red	Tomatoes, Strawberries, Apples
Blue	Ocean, Sky
Black	Night, roads

Spinner and colored stones and pegs

Here a child can throw a colored stone with a matching color on a spinner, then pick an image and pray for what’s in the image (fig. 8 & 9). Again, same thing applies with using colored pegs.

I hope you will find this helpful😊.

The Joy Of Hiking

I remember when I first started hiking. We were at a church camp which was held at Rocklands Centre in the beautiful surroundings of the Mother City, Cape Town in South Africa. During the day, one would feel the sound of the sea breeze which brings that calmness to one’s soul. On the other side, there are beautiful mountains with huge rocks and beautiful flowers and trees. Well, I haven’t seen the snakes as yet. Not that I’m looking forward seeing them ha ha ha😀. So when we were taking a short break, one of my friends Jaki North suggested that we go for a short hike. At first, I was very hesitant because hiking was something I have never done before, and it was a bit hot on that day. But another part of me wanted to trysomething new, so I agreed to go with her. As we started climbing that beautiful mountain, the struggle was real, I was sweating, panting, and getting tired. I was now planning to go back instead. But my friend was so patient with me given that it was my first time doing it. And as soon as we reached the top of the mountain, we celebrated the victory of finishing my first hike. It was such a great achievement. Moreover, I would have missed seeing the stunning view of the sea and the dolphins. Although it was exhausting to reach at the top, I did not regret doing it and little did I know that was the beginning of more hikes in future which is currently something I love doing.

Since then, my interest in hiking started growing. Now and then we would arrange to go with some couple of friends to different hiking trails. So far, all the hiking places I have been to are absolutely breath taking despite their challenging trails. However, the joy that I find in hiking is more than just walking, climbing, sweating, feeling exhausted, meeting health goals, and finishing the targeted kilometers. Well, all that is a victory on its own. But for me, hiking has become a time of refreshing, and sanity. Moreover, it is a great time of enjoying God’s beautiful creation like birds, wild animals, trees, flowers, waterfalls, the mountains, the valleys, the dams, and the rocks. I just find it so therapeutic. To think of it, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy God’s beautiful creation if it weren’t because of him. He is our Creator, the grand designer. The good book affirms it in Psalm 24:1-2, “The earth is the LORD’S and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.” God made all these things so that we can marvel at his beauty and enjoy his beautiful creation. It is just breath taking and so there is no need to rush your hike. Otherwise, you will end up missing the stunning views around you. It is absolutely an amazing adventure. These verses from the good book in Psalm 104 expresses it beautifully:

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendour and majesty.

He set the earth on its foundations;
    it can never be moved.
You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
But at your rebuke the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned for them.
You set a boundary they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
They give water to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.
He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work….

So, if you haven’t done hiking as yet, you can give it a try. Have a change of scenery once in a while and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation. It’s worth it. But also, it would be advisable to check with your medical advisor if your health condition can cope with hiking or rather a different sport. Let me end here folks. Enjoy the read and keep safe 😷 .

The Joy of Using Tree Sticks to Teach Bible to Children

Have you ever wondered how you can teach children by just using tree sticks to enhance your Bible teaching? The interesting thing is that you can keep the sticks and use them for other biblical illustrations as well, and you don’t need money in order to get them. You just need to make time to gather those tree sticks and be creative and simple. But the key is to pray and ask God to help you to make your Bible lesson alive and exciting to children. You can do these tree sticks illustrations indoors or outdoors. You can also involve children as you do these illustrations and have fun.

For Example,

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-2.png — **Figure 1**

A Crown can be used to represent God in the Bible, i. e. from the Old Testament in Genesis 1-3, it can represent God as the Creator of the world. It can also be used to represent other kings from the Bible like Solomon, David, Saul etc. Also, a crown can also represent Jesus as our King, our Ruler and our Savior.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-3.png — **Figure 2**

A Cross can be used to represent Jesus’ death and his resurrection. The stories can be found in the New Testament from all four gospels, that is Matthew 27 & 28, Mark 14-16, Luke 23-24 and John 19-20. Also, the cross can represent Jesus Christ as the ultimate king, the ‘Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45). In fact, you will need to have a cross for almost all your Bible teaching.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-4.png — **Figure 3**

A Boat can be used to illustrate the story of Jonah 1-4 from the Old Testament and from the New Testament; the story of Jesus when he was calling his first disciples in Mark 1:16-20, the Calming of the storm in Mark 4:35-41, and the story of Jesus Walking on Water in Matthew 14:22-33. A boat can also be used for the story of Paul when he was sailing for Rome in Acts 27:1-44.

The joy of using what you have around you can be an encouragement to you and the excitement to the children whom you are teaching. It is important that as you use these illustrations, the Bible should be your main resource to teach the gospel to children. Children need to be taught about Jesus who is our ultimate King and has power to rescue us from our sins and reconcile us to God. Ultimately, it is the word of God which has power to change lives, even the lives of the children.

So, be encouraged, keep serving the Lord and children faithfully, and with the help of the Holy Spirit. And all this should be done for the glory of God. I would not have said it better than Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58. “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Check out the link below for a demo😊:

https://photos.google.com/u/1/photo/AF1QipMCCjnB3438b0sdb_gc4-XqLZdM27T8xo8S303S

Different ways to Encourage Children to Pray

Some of you may agree with me that prayer can sometimes feel like a daunting task. Sometimes you don’t know where to start and you don’t know how to go about it. It is not easy. And yet, prayer is a great privilege which God has given us as his children to communicate with him and we are able to do it through the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to treasure moments of prayer and understand what it means too, so that we can be able to encourage children to do it as well. But you will need to create a rhythm to help you as a family or as a Sunday school teacher to help children pray. It is important that you explain to children what prayer is – Prayer is talking to God. We talk to God because he is our heavenly Father and we have a privilege of talking to him because we have a relationship with him through the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is our King and our Savior. In John 14:6, Jesus declares that ‘He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.’ Thus, it is only by trusting in Jesus that we (including children) can talk to God as our heavenly Father. Also, ‘God created us to have fellowship and communication with him’ (Africa Study Bible).

In Matthew 6:5-13 (The Lord’s Prayer), Jesus teaches us the right model of how to pray and what we can pray for to God our Father. Jesus said, ‘This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” So, you can teach this truth to children as you encourage them to pray. You can help children know that they can talk to God about anything. Children can ask God what they need (Matthew 7:7-8); they can ask God for forgiveness (1 John 1:8-10). Children can talk to God when they are happy or when they are sad (1 Peter 5:7); and they can pray at anytime and at any place. God listen to their prayers and he answers them in his own way and in his own timing. Again, the Bible teaches us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 to ‘Never stop praying and to be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for all who belong to Christ Jesus.’ Therefore you must encourage children that praying should be part of their daily lives because it is God’s will for them.

You can make this time of prayer productive with the children of different ages around you. This can be a good way of creating a rhythm and a routine for a daily devotion with children. Here are practical ways which you can use to encourage children to pray:

Figure 1

Write a prayer behind each number. Then flip a number and pray. Children can pick up a number with their eyes opened or closed.

Figure 2

Each child can take a piece of paper from the yoghurt container, read the prayer and pray. If children can’t read, help them by reading it for them and guide them to do the prayer. You can use any type of a clean container as well.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Ask each child to lift the tin to reveal the number of stones underneath (see figure 3), then match the number of stones with a prayer on the list on figure 4 and pray. This method can be a great way to help kids to count as well. You can even do it orally with no pen and paper.

Figure 5

Here, when you are outside, you can write the number/s on the sand and cover each number with a tin. Each tin has a different number underneath. Then share the prayers which you would like to pray with the children according to your numbered prayers.

Figure 6, 7, 8

Write the number in each polystyrene cups (figure 6) and put it upside down (figure 7). You can have a numbered list of prayers on a sheet of paper or you can ask children the things they would like to pray for. Then let each child take one cup and reveal the number (figure 8), and that will be his or her prayer item.

Consequently, these methods are meant to encourage you as you teach Bible to children and helping them to pray. You can be more creative by using what you have around you. Be encouraged and continue to “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Contentment in Singleness

Wow, it’s 2021! Can you believe it! Who knew that you and I will be alive today? It’s only by the grace of God and his mercy alone that we are still alive. Praise his holy name. Happy New Year everybody! I hope you have a blessed year 😊. Here is my new blog!

I was once asked to be part of a Panel Discussion of Young Adults at my local church. The discussion involved ladies and gents and the topic was about Singleness. It was such an interesting discussion and it was also interesting to hear different perspectives from Young Adults on how they view singleness. So we had to answer the following questions about Singleness, and these were my answers:

What is singleness in your own opinion/definition?

I think singleness is state of being single without any potential male partner or a husband.

What does it mean to live as a single person to you?

For me, it means to live in freedom of independence and yet being responsible and having boundaries too. In other words, it matters how I conduct myself as a Christian single person. It also means that as a single person I am part of the community and not a loner, meaning that I have friends to share life with. Some of them are married and some of them are single. We go out for lunch or supper, we chat about deep meaningful conversations, call each other, we go for games and concerts, we watch movies, we become vulnerable to one another, we encourage each other and there are times where we rebuke each other as well. As Proverbs 27:17 tells us that, ‘Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.’ These kind of relationships keep me accountable and I find them healthy too. Other people which I do life with as a single person is family and acquaintances including males as well.

What challenges have you faced (this can include insensitivity, pressures imposed by society, church, close friends and loved ones, because it seems that to other people being single is a curse?

Challenges which I have been facing are questions like, ‘When are you getting married?,’ Are you married? How many children do you have? You need to put yourself out there, in my language it can mean “uzoyithola kanjani uhlel’ ekhoneni.” Are you seeing someone at the moment? Have you seen someone that you like lately? You must get married now. Don’t wait too long. Oh are you still Single? How about ‘So and so, he’s also single?

You are such a good person, I don’t understand why you don’t have a partner. Maybe your partner is right under your nose, you are just missing each other. Anyways my aunt got married at a later stage in life, maybe that might be the case for you. I will be praying for a good husband for you. And my answer would be, “Please do, I would appreciate it.” Honestly, I find some of these statements so amusing!

Well, some are asking such questions out of a genuine concern. And some, they just cannot understand how a woman can stay single in her whole life. Even in my African culture, some women get more respect if they are married and have children, otherwise you are not a ‘woman enough’ in their eyes.

How have you dealt and approached those struggles of being single or are still dealing with?

Firstly, I need to mention that it is easy to fall into a temptation of feeling desperate and getting tempted to make irrational decisions because of the pressure that you receive from the people around you. And you end up feeling like you are missing out or maybe there’s something wrong with you.

But, honestly most of those questions does not faze me at all. Instead, I would reply by saying, “I believe it’s not God’s timing yet.” If God gives me a husband, I will praise him and if he doesn’t give me a husband, I would still praise him because he knows it all and he knows what’s best for me. My life as a single person finds real satisfaction in Christ and I am happy to embrace my singleness in Him.

When it comes to dealing with struggles as a single woman, I rejoice in knowing that I have a Father to talk to in prayer. I can be honest to him with all my struggles as a single person and he provides right people to talk to and to pray with. I am talking about people who encourages me to embrace my singleness for the glory of God. That is a privilege of being part of God’s community.

Well, it is true that some members of the church family, friends and even your own family can discourage you for being single as if there’s something wrong with you. You should not succumb to their expectations of you. Only God knows the future about your life.

How has the word of God shaped your view in the way you live as a single person?

The word of God helped me to understand that singleness is equally a gift or a blessing from God just as the marriage is a gift from God too, and I need to embrace it as I continue to live for him. I find joy in knowing that my identity is in Christ alone as a single woman and it is not in fulfilling people’s expectations of me. As Lorrie M. puts it, “In 1 Corinthians 7:7, the apostle Paul states that singleness is a gift from God, just as marriage is a gift from God. Both are good and God can be glorified in both. The state of singleness is meant to be good, not negative, as so many people believe.”[1] (If you want to know more about the topics regarding issues that women face in their journey of life, this is the best book to have).

More than that, the word of God has taught me that contentment is found in Christ alone because he provides real contentment and he fulfil our desires with good things in his own timing and in his own way (Psalm 103:5). Ultimately, he knows what is best for me.

How has God challenged you in your singleness?

God has challenged my singleness in that I have a role to play in his kingdom, to serve him and his people joyfully. He has given me a desire to teach Bible to children, to train, and to reach out to other younger women (married and unmarried) by reading God’s word, praying with and for one another and encouraging one another to live a life that glorifies God. Those are priceless moments and I can’t trade it for anything.

What advice do you have for the single ladies who struggle with being single, and how do you challenge those who look down on single people?

Firstly, I would advise them to honestly tell God about their struggle. And secondly, I would also advise them to pray for contentment in Christ who knows what is best for them. That would mean spending time reading God’s Word and praying individually and corporately and pray for others who are having the same struggle as well. In that way, they will realize that they are not struggling alone. Hebrews 4:15 also reminds us that even Christ himself was tempted in every respect as we are, yet he never sinned. But he sympathizes with us in our weaknesses. Moreover, I would advice them to speak to a mature Christian who will lovingly give a godly advice. Preferably male to male and females to females. I, personally find this very helpful as well.

I would challenge those who look down on single people to stop it because it is not a godly thing to do. And that is not how God look at single people, we are all equal before God and his love is the same for single people just like for everybody else.

Lastly, what would you say to some of us who idolize singleness or think it is being incomplete?

For those who idolize singleness or think it is being incomplete, I would advise them to stop it, repent and ask God for forgiveness because idolizing is sin before God, and he hates it. In Exodus 20:3, God declares, ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ In fact, when we idolize singleness we are saying my singleness is more important than God. And that is not how God intended for single women to behave. Instead, they must find ways of how they can serve in the body of Christ and use their gifts to serve God and his people; and they must embark on healthy relationships too.

For those who think that singleness is incomplete, I would challenge them and say when God created us, he created us in his own image, and he said it is very good (Genesis 1:31). In other words, everything that God created was perfect and complete (that includes single women as well). Otherwise, if we don’t believe that we are trying to say God did not do a great job when he created us. But there is still time to turn to God in repentance and ask him to help us find our true contentment in him through his son Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins; and in this way we can find real joy in his salvation, and embrace the kind of life he has given us to the glory of his name.

Consequently, answering these questions made me realize that singleness is a gift from God as much as marriage is a gift from God too. Moreover, singleness is not a curse as some people may think, it is a blessing from God, and one need to embrace it. If our identity is in Christ then we must find our fulfilment in him alone. And we need to live our singleness to the glory of his name. As a result, we must continue to ‘delight ourselves in the Lord and he will give us the desires of our heart’ (Psalm 37:5) for he knows what’s best for me and you. If it is part of God’s plan that you and I get married one day, then praise his holy name and continue to live for him. And if it is not part of God’s plan that you and I get married, we must still praise his holy name and continue to live for him joyfully and not grudgingly. Ultimately, what matters most is our relationship with God and how we live our lives to the glory of his name now until the end of our lives, whether we are single or married.

[1] Skowronski, L. M., 1997. Counseling women discontent in their singleness. In: E. Fitzpatrick, C. Cornish, eds. Women Helping Women: A Biblical Guide to the Major Issues Women Face. Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, pp 141-165.

Has God been a different God in 2020?

You may agree with me that year 2020 has been a very different and a strange period in history. Indeed, many other previous years have been different as well. But 2020 has been so significant in many ways. Even if the animals could talk, they can witness to this fact. The whole world came to a halt, and no one was immune to that kind of environment. Our daily routines started changing. Fear and anxiety started creeping in our hearts. Uncertainty was on the rise. No one could really interpret the cause of what was going on. It was hard to remember ‘what day it is,’ and to live our normal lives again. It seemed like the lights around the whole world were getting dimmer and dimmer each day, and even Eskom could not help in this situation. Even the things we thought we had control over started slipping from our hands. It seemed like all our dreams were being shuttered.

My desire for being in control of my life was greatly challenged. In fact, it left me exposed and vulnerable. I was humbled and brought to my knees before God in realizing that He is in total control of all he has made including my life. He declares in Isaiah 55:8-9 that, ‘His thoughts are not my thoughts, neither are his ways my ways. So, his ways are higher than my ways and his thoughts are higher than mine.’

It is a reality that is has been a difficult year for many of us in the entire world. Things were out of our control, particularly in this period of Covid-19 pandemic. We may say that year 2020 took its toil on us. Some would say, ‘2020 has shown us flames.’ O what a very strange year!

However, would you say that God has been a different God in 2020? Maybe you may have had some doubts in your mind, and the following questions may have sprung up in your mind: Does God still care for all of humanity?, Why all this calamity, O God?, What have we done?, Things seem to be falling apart, why are you not doing anything O Lord?, O Lord, you seem to be so distant and indifferent to us lately. Believe you me, some of these questions did spring in my mind as well.

The thought of isolation, social distancing, change of routine and lockdown which prevented me from seeing my loved ones, let alone not hugging them and sharing meals with them and not being able to have face-to-face conversations over coffee and praying together. I couldn’t even visit my own brother at the home for 8 months because of the tight restrictions which was necessary for their own safety. I could even empathize with some of my friends who are parents; they now had to do parenting duties 24/7 including the other household duties. I struggled to cope with life in these moments and as a result, I even went through a mild depression. Life was like a ‘roller coaster.’ It seemed like all these changes took control of our lives. 2020 has been a year of unpredictable chaos, surprises and confusion.

But in spite of all this, I have learned to trust in God’s Sovereignty over my life on a daily basis till today. Consequently, if we are to hear from God answering these questions, we have to look at His word, the Bible because that is how He speaks to us.

God is Sovereign Over Everything

The Bible teaches us in Psalm 24, that God is in total control of all that he has made including us human beings. God is our Creator, our King and he rules over everything in heaven and earth. As the song by Robert London says, ‘He’s got the whole world in his hands.’ Moreover, in Psalm 115:3, David affirms that, ‘Our God is in the heavens, he does all that he pleases.’ He is Sovereign, and nothing can happen outside his will. Thus, we can fully rely on him because God is sovereign over everything including difficult times.

God Never Changes

Despite all of these changes and reasons for fear and anxiety, God is trustworthy. Circumstances cannot change who God is. He is unchanging God. James 1:17 affirms that God is the ‘Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.’ Again Hebrews 13:8, tells us that, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.’ Therefore, God has not been a different God even in 2020.

God keeps his Promises

All things works together for our good because God loves us as his people…Romans 8:28, and he has faithfully kept his promises and will continues to do so. God is not indifferent towards us; he loves us unconditionally and he cares for us. In Joshua, 1:5, God says to Joshua who became the leader of Israelites after the death of Moses, “I will be with you (as I was with my servant Moses). I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We must also take courage as God’s people that he will never abandon us no matter the circumstances. Moreover, Psalm 23 gives us confidence in knowing that God cares for his people in all circumstances, whether good things or bad things happens to us.

God met our needs in 2020

As much as it has been hard to cope with many things in 2020, God still provided means for us to live each day as it comes. He provided means for us to continue with our relationships, work and school through technology. This may have been different for some of us in different contexts. But the fact is that God continued to meet all our needs even in darkest times. God provided even beyond my expectations and through that I have learnt to be content.

He provided food to eat, clothes to wear, a shelter, friends, family, a Christian community, and more than anything He provided us with his Word to know the good news and share them to others, to grow in our relationship with him and to put things in the right perspective. Matthew 6:31-33, tells us, “Therefore do not be anxious saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

So, has God been a different God in 2020? The answer is NO! God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is Sovereign over everything. He cannot be changed by any circumstances. He is compassionate and he is a loving Father who demonstrated his love on the Cross – in that while we were still sinners Christ died for sinners like us (Rom.5:8). And God raised him from the dead on the third day. Moreover, Hebrews 4:13, reminds us that ‘For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.’ God sympathizes with us in our weaknesses through his son Jesus Christ. In this way, we must find comfort in knowing that God is a loving Father and we can trust him as our gracious and merciful God who never changes. Consequently, we can be certain that God never changes despite different circumstances in history. He is not a different God in different periods of life. He is the same God in all of history. God will still be the same God even in 2021 despite any circumstances.

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