Linda Gleason, president of UPCI Ladies Ministries, writes about seeing Jesus amid troubled times.
Thirty-eight years. Hopeless. Helpless. Then God.
It was a new day!
The man at the pool of Bethesda had no one to help him. The bleak future stretched endlessly before him. Nothing would change. He would die here amid the stench, the groanings, the agony. Every day, always the same, despair, misery—except “at a certain season” when someone reached the waters that were “troubled” by an angel and healing came. Then there were shouts of joy and rejoicing. But not for him. He had no one to help him. There wasn’t even a chance he would ever be the first to get into the troubled waters that held a miracle of healing.
Until Jesus walked by. That day the man stood, picked up his bed, and walked. It was a new day!
The year 2020 blew in with great gusto. The economy was good. The worldwide Apostolic church was growing. Things looked great for every UPCI department. Revival reports were flooding in; the future looked bright.
Then tragedy.
A virus. We have always had viruses. Flu season hits every year. Sickness and death. Flu causes sickness and death every year. Worldwide. Well, generally it is sort of worldwide. But this time it was different.
This time, the entire world halted in its tracks. This time, travel stopped. Borders closed. Businesses closed. Restaurants closed. Churches closed. People stayed home.
Paper products, face masks, and sanitizing wipes/gels became valuable commodities. People scrambling for toilet paper—grabbing and fighting in stores for the last package on the shelf.
Our world seemingly went mad. Fear, anger, social unrest, riots, destruction—desperation everywhere.
But surely it would last only a short time.
Seeing Jesus amid Chaos
Events canceled. Conferences canceled. Sports canceled. Schools canceled.
David K. Bernard delivered the message of the hour during a General Conference virtual service: We See Jesus.
Even our UPCI General Conference as we’d known it for seventy-four years, canceled. Yet amid it all, as 2020 rolled into history, our UPCI general superintendent, David K. Bernard, delivered the message of the hour during a General Conference virtual service: We See Jesus.
Standing in the middle of the confusion, fear, desperation, and chaos, God is with us, working His plan. Click To TweetThis year, 2021, brings a new day. Standing in the middle of the confusion, fear, desperation, and chaos, God is with us, working His plan.
The Church Stepped In
North Carolina calling Oregon: “My friend in Oregon is asking where to find a church. She lives in _____.”
Oklahoma calling Oregon: “My daughter is desperate to find God. She lives in _____. Where is the closest church?”
Oregon calling Texas: “My friend saw our service online. We did a Bible study over the phone. She lives in _____. Where is a church that’s close to her?”
Pastors calling pastors. Missionaries calling missionaries. “Where is the closest church for my friend, my family?”
Because it’s a new day!
In the middle of confusion and a world turned upside-down, “We See Jesus.” He has come to save, heal, and deliver.
“I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick” (Ezekiel 34:16).
“He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound … to comfort all that mourn … to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 61:1–3).
It’s a new day. It’s a new dynamic. It may be a new plan of action, but it’s an old message that still works for the new day.
Let’s work while it is day in this new day, for on the horizon, we hear the sound of a trumpet—it’s almost home time!
(A version of this content originally appeared in Reflections. To see more content or subscribe, visit Reflections.)
Resources and Links
Lori Wagner – For resources on life and ministry as a lady
Cindy Miller – This Apostolic counselor has ministered around the world, providing biblical insight and professional expertise. These books combine that needed direction to help with critical life issues.