Pastor's Message

June 2008 

Many people have gone to satellite TV instead of cable. I am not going to tell you which is better. You probably have your own ideas and I am not in the business of selling either to you. The one thing you do need with satellite TV is you need a clear signal in order to receive a broadcast. Over this past spring, we have had many storms move through the Altamont area. When that happens, many with satellites have lost their signal for a while.

Why does that happen? The storm clouds block the satellite signal. Just when you need to be able to turn on the Weather Channel to get the latest updates on what is happening in our area, the signal disappears and you are left in the dark. The signal is blocked and you don’t know what to do.

I thought about that and realized that is exactly what happens in our spiritual lives. Through faith we are in tune with our Lord. (Please, let’s not get really technical here and begin to run down my analogy. It will fall apart if you push too hard.) We praise His name. We worship. We follow Him in our lives. We read the Word. We pray. We receive the Lord’s Supper. Everything is really great.

But then storm clouds come on the horizon. Sickness, problems at home, fears, worries, and a whole host of other storm clouds come in. And before long, we are so focused on the storms that we are facing that we think that we are alone. We feel like God has abandoned us just when we need Him most. Like our satellite TV, we feel like we can’t get a signal when we need one the most.

This is where we must realize that God is so different from us. Storm clouds don’t block His love, His grace or His strength. Just because we think He isn’t there doesn’t make it so. His power is never blocked by our troubles. In fact, He tells us that when the storm clouds get dark and terrible, we should call upon Him in every trouble! He is never out of touch with us. He never leaves us (see Hebrews 13:5-6). He promises to hear our prayers, to touch our lives, and to help us in the direst times.

The next time you are struggling, remember that the Lord is right there with you. Your prayers will always get through to Him. And His love, strength, power, grace and mercy will always reach you. He is so different from our satellite TV. His love is never blocked by the trials and tribulations of our lives. In fact, that is when His love is the strongest!

Pastor Schuessler