Happy Friday, everyone. I’m here in North Carolina where we continue to do a lot of the disaster response and the comfort care that is needed in this community. You know, even though it’s out of the news cycle, there’s still a lot of work here, and there’s still a lot of hurt, and there’s still a lot of need.

Got to thinking about that. You know, sometimes on cloudy days, we don’t see the sun. I remember, for children, you almost don’t even think about it, but you do kind of wonder, where is the sun? Well, we know that the sun is still there. It’s just behind the clouds. But how do we know that? We can’t see it.

Well, one of the ways we know that is because experts tell us that if it weren’t there, we’d be in a lot of trouble. We wouldn’t have any existence. We’d be frozen to death instantly. That comes from people that are smarter and wiser than me, but people that understand the way things work. You know, so it is in life. Sometimes we don’t know where God is. We can’t see Him, but He’s there.

How do you know that? Well, you know that because if He weren’t here, if you think things are bad now, everything would really, truly be desolate. And the reality is, is that God promises us that He’ll be here. He’s not going to abandon us. Long after your trouble is no longer newsworthy, He’s going to be there. He’s in it for the long haul. He’s going to be there with you, and he’s there making this promise to you today, right now. He says, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.”

That’s who you go into this weekend with – a Savior who will never leave you. He will never abandon you. And even when you can’t see Him, even when you can’t feel Him, even when things around you seem to indicate that maybe He’s absent, the reality is He’s right there. I’m so thankful for Lutheran Church Charities getting an opportunity to be a physical representation of His ever love and presence for this community. But, you know, that’s not a call that’s just for Lutheran Church Charities.

That’s a call for you and me this weekend. I’m wondering who you might be able to be a sunshine in someone else’s life? I pray that you’ll do that this weekend. Remember, He’ll never leave you and He’ll never forsake you.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank You so much that Your promise is good. Your promise is firm. Your promise is true. And you have promised us that You will never leave us. You will never forsake us. But You stay with us and You will to the end. And one day we will open our eyes and we will see You fully. We will come face to face with You. And until then, Lord, there’s moments in lives where it is cloudy, it is dark, it is stormy. And we wonder where You are.

But remind us that You who have all wisdom, all authority, all power, all strength, all might and all love – You’ve promised that You will always be there. Help us to rest confident in that. And then would You also help us, Lord, to be mindful of that feeling so that as we look at others and maybe those who are wondering where You are, that we might represent You and extend words of kindness, encouragement and love to them this weekend? Be with us now we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.