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There Is a God

By: Randy Phillips, Lead Pastor, Life.Family Churches

As a pastor, one of the great sacred honors I have is walking alongside my members when they go through great heartbreak. When they invite me into their sadness, I understand what a privilege it is, and I go to God on their behalf.

Sue stumbled into my office, devastated. Her son revealed that he would live a lifestyle directly in opposition to her beliefs as a Jesus follower. “What did I do as a mom?” “Where did I go wrong?” “Why doesn’t God fix this”? All honest questions were pouring from a wounded spirit.

As I walked this road with Sue, I’ve seen the cycle of denial, anger, bargaining with God, and depression. As her pastor, I often prayed, “God help her find your supernatural peace in the middle of this storm.”

One day, Sue told me she read a devotional called “Trust God.” The writer said,

the ways of God are beyond our finite ability to understand them but be assured, he is working on your behalf, so every time you see a penny, say, ‘God, I trust you.’ That inscription, written on the penny, will remind you that God is in control of situations that are so completely out of yours.

Naturally, she began to see pennies everywhere. Tilling the garden - a penny. “Lord, I trust you.” Sweeping the kitchen - a penny. “Lord, I trust you.” At the grocery store, the change is … a penny. “Lord, I trust you.” Overcoming challenges within the arm of your own strength is exhausting. You need to know that there is a God with supernatural power to help you in times of hurt. Lord, I trust you.

Sue’s confidence in God was gaining momentum, and her son would occasionally make strides toward God. One day, the son asked to meet with her about their differences. Her hopes for his possible turnaround brought light back into her eyes. Sue decided a restaurant was best for the meeting, so a public place would keep them calm if things got too emotional. The young man began to tell his mother that despite her best intentions and prayers, he would continue to be who he was and live the life he wanted. Sue, overwhelmed with emotion, excused herself and went to the ladies’ restroom.

In the dimly lit, empty bathroom, she put both hands on the sink and stared into the mirror. As tears ran down her cheeks, she said, “God, I thought I could trust you.”

She looked down at her hands, on the sink counter, under the thick, clear covering … rows and rows of pennies. She looked at the walls of the restroom. The walls were lined with pennies. She looked at the floor, rows and rows of pennies. Lord, I can trust you.

While her son has not changed the way she wanted, she changed. She put the situation in the hands of God and declared, “There is a God.” Trusting in God may not change the situation, but it will change how you face it.

When my mind cries “why,” my heart holds the answer. There is a God.

When life implodes underneath me, there are everlasting arms that hold me. There is a God.

When everything that can be shaken is shaken. There is a God.

I told this story to contemporary singer and songwriter Matthew West. We wrote this song that my group, Phillips, Craig and Dean, recorded on our latest album. I pray you inhale the promise embedded in the song, “There is a God.”

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6