“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me…I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart I have overcome the world” (John 14:1; 16:33).

The Little Church and Lakewoodgrace is a congregation that loves, cares for, and serves God and God’s people. That is one of her greatest strengths and that is one of the things I love about being one of the pastors here.

This past week Steve George was taken to Seattle Veterans Hospital for a medical issue. As part of the admission process the hospital tested Steve for covid-19 where he tested positive. Steve is not showing covid symptoms and is in the best place for both covid and for his medical care. I ask for your strong prayers for Steve and Karen.

We have been in conversation with all who had contact and possible exposure to covid-19. All who have had possible exposure will be in quarantine and be tested. Everyone who had possible exposure are symptom free.

I assure you that the staff and I have taken steps to ensure the safety of all our members and staff. However, out of an abundance of caution:

• Due to a possible exposure to covid, Patsy, our office manager, and I will remain off campus until Nov. 2. Although we will be off campus, we will continue to be engaged in ministries and meetings by Zoom, phone, and email.
• No one who has had possible exposure is displaying symptoms. Please join us in praying that it continues to be so.
• The office areas (the only areas with possible exposure on the Little Church campus) have been thoroughly sanitized, and we will continue to do so.
• Should you have any concerns or questions, feel free to contact me (253)588-6631.

This possible exposure on the Little Church campus did not occur at our worship services. It happened during the week in the office area.

As we move forward, know that the safety and the health of our staff and members are the top priority.

I ask you to join me in praying for the family. Pray for God’s healing and for protection for the family and for the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace. Pray for those who may have had possible exposure. It’s never just prayer. Prayer is an awesome opportunity to enlist God’s favor and power for his church. So join me in praying for God’s will over the Little Church and Lakewoodgrace.

We will continue to do our utmost to keep our campus, staff, and people safe. We will continue to wear masks, practice safe distancing, and practice safe cleaning processes on campus. Most of all, we will continue to love, serve, and care for God’s people as we serve God’s church.

Jesus gathered with his disciples on the night of his arrest to prepare them for what they would be facing in the immediate hours and the days to come. That’s the context of John chapters 14-17. That’s the context of the above verses.

Jesus tells his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled,” because troubling times were mere minutes away. We too have had our share of troubled times lately.

What do believers do when facing troubled times? Jesus tells us, “Believe in God. Believe also in me.”

Why should we believe in God and in Jesus? What does that accomplish?

Jesus tells us, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

That is great news. Yeah. It stinks that one of our own has covid. It stinks that there are others who might have been exposed to covid. But none of this changes the fact that God is God, God is in control, and that God is good. We will continue to be a loving, caring, and serving congregation.

So, take heart, Little Church and Lakewoodgrace. God’s got this!

“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8).

God promises to instruct, teach, and guide us in the way we should live. God constantly gives us counsel about how we are to live and conduct our lives. God is a constant compass and guide for his disciples.

If God is constantly giving us guidance, why are so many Christians lost when it comes to what God would have us to do and how we ought to live our lives in particular situations?

That is a fantastic question and observation. To answer that question we need to ask, “How does God instruct and guide us?”

The primary way God instructs and guides is through God’s word. The scriptures lay the foundation for the way we should live our lives.

If you are waiting for God to whisper, nudge, or give you a feeling or sensation to guide and instruct you in the way you should you go, you are setting yourself up for failure and heartache. It’s not that God cannot whisper, nudge, or give us a feeling or sensation to guide and instruct. It’s just that the devil has access to all these as well. So how can you tell if a whisper, nudge, a feeling, or sensation is from God or the devil or a bad pepperoni pizza? You have to gauge it against God’s word. God’s word is the standard to gauge whether a whisper, a nudge, a feeling, or sensation is from God or not.

The key to understanding God’s will is God’s word. It is impossible to live a Godly life apart from God’s word. When you don’t know God’s word, you cannot understand God’s will.

So, what happens if you are not a student of God’s word? Simply, you are lost.

Get into the habit of spending time in God’s word every day. Have a plan for a systematic reading of God’s word. You have heard me many times encouraging you to do this. The reason I do so is because I am your pastor and I love you. I want you to grow and mature in the faith. And one of the most important factors of growing as a disciple is a daily reading of God’s truth.

Go ahead. Do it. There are fantastic daily devotional plans at YouVersion at http://www.youversion.com.

God always answers prayers.

• When our request is wrong God says “no”.
• When the timing of our request is wrong God says “wait”.
• When we are not right with God, God says “grow”.
• When the request is right, the timing is right, and we are right with God, God says “yes”!

Finally! Finally we get a “yes”.

God not only answers prayers but God loves to answer our prayers.

James 1:17 tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

John 14:13-14 tells us, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Not only does God answer prayers but he is glorified when he answers prayers. The key is the phrase “ask in my name.” When we ask of God in his name it means to ask of him things that are confusing with God’s will. It assumes that the request is right, the timing is right, and that we are right with God.

Because God is sovereign and God is good, God has not only the right but the obligation to say no to prayers that are wrong, “wait” when the timing is wrong, and “grow” when we are wrong. But when these things are right, God absolutely sights to answer our prayers in the affirmative.

Thank you God for being such an amazing and awesome God! Thank you for always answering prayers. Thank you for loving us and wanting only what is best for us. Amen!