10052019 Unto Death

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our everlasting God. That's a big deal, because it means He is with us today just as He was with believers thousands of years ago - and He's not going anywhere.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death" (Psalm 48:14).

Before I consider the "forever" part, it is important to know who the "forever" God is. "This God is our God." Which God is that? According to this psalm, He is the God that is great (v. 1). He is worthy of great praise (v. 1). He is a refuge (v. 3). He easily defeats his enemies (v. 7). He firmly establishes His people (v. 8). He shows lovingkindness (v. 9). He is abundantly righteous (v. 10). He gives good judgments (v. 11). He is a guide (v. 14). I would say He is a God worth knowing, wouldn't you?

Wonderfully, this amazing God is our God! And He is our God "for ever and ever ... even unto death." God never dies. He never quits. He never gives up. He never abandons us. He never forgets us. He never lets our relationship fade into obscurity.

When is God with us? He is (was) with us when the first stirrings toward missionary service began in our hearts. He is with us on exploratory mission trips that nudge us along the way. He is with us when He reveals His call. He is with us through the months and years of waiting for the right time. He is with us on deputation, from the first meeting until the last. He is with us as idealistic, enthusiastic, and sometimes clueless novices when we first step off the plane. He is with us first term, second term, fourth term, last term. He is with us when health forces us to return or when age forces us to retire. He is with us when we step down or cross over into other ministries. He is with us through declining health, all the way until death. Not for one minute does He ever leave or cease being our God.

When is God with us? The first convert. The first rejection. The first Bible study. The first public antagonism. The language success. The major social faux pas. The construction of the church building. The discouraging vandalism to the building. The exciting camp or institute ministry. The disintegration of a ministry. The fruitful times. The dry times.

If you consider the previous paragraph, you realize that your prayer letters probably focus mostly on the positive elements and not on the negative. Why? Not necessarily because you are ashamed of the negatives, nor because you are unaware of them. But those people back home want good reports and encouraging news. If they knew the extent of the opposition and the depth of the struggles, they might stop supporting, stop praying, stop reading your reports, stop connecting with you. People aren't faithful and everlasting like God is.

Thank God for faithful supporters and for faithful prayer warriors. Thank God for the churches that have been with you from the beginning. Thank God for the ones that still communicate after years of not seeing you and that still want you to visit whenever you have the chance. The sad reality is that not all churches and individuals fit those descriptions. Most likely you have had disappointing and even painful separations, as supporters have dropped away for whatever reason. Change of leadership, change of direction, decreased budgets, believing falsehoods about you, judging you too harshly, or simply losing the connection that once existed.

I'm sure all of you have some level of loss like that, but the point of this study is that God never does that. It doesn't matter what you include in your prayer letters, He is still faithfully with you. It doesn't even matter what you leave out of your prayer letters; He knows all that, too, and He still stays with you. "For ever and ever ... even unto death." That is security. That is faithfulness, confidence, inspiration, motivation, and sustenance.

One final amazing thing about having such a great God who never leaves you - the application. "That ye may tell it to the generation following" (v. 13). This faithfulness of God is your message to churches back home and to the people you minister with regularly. You can tell them about how awesome God is and about how He will always be that way for every believer.

When God is great, He is great forever. When He is a refuge, He is a refuge forever. When He is characterized by lovingkindness and righteousness, He is that way forever. That's a truth worth sharing, and that's a message worth writing home about!

No matter what happens this week with people - whether the ones back home or the ones right in front of you - may you rest in the wonderful unchanging and everlasting constancy and faithfulness of God.

"Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,/ From Him no pow'r of evil can sever,/ He gave His life to ransom my soul;/ Now I belong to Him;/ Now I belong to Jesus,/ Jesus belongs to me,/ Not for the years of time alone,/ But for eternity."

Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com