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"But God raised Him from the dead."
(Acts 13:30)
Last month, the state of Texas endured one of the worst winter storms in its history. Temperatures dropped to 0° F, and for Texas, let me tell you, that is a crazy kind of cold! Our church campus, Great Hills Baptist Church, suffered catastrophic flooding as a result of burst pipes. It was heartbreaking to see the extensive damage to our church buildings. All three buildings were affected. Buildings A and C received the most damage, but our sanctuary (Building B) suffered some damage as well. But God. Even in the midst of such devastation, we have seen God's hand intervening in wonderful ways. For example, within two hours of us discovering the flooding of our buildings, Brad Farr, the owner of the Water Damage Roofing Company, was on site. He began to bring in his crews, and at one point, there were over 60 employees working feverishly. Brad shared with us that the buildings are drying out well, and that is good news. We still have much work to be done, as the walls and flooring will need to be replaced, as will the fire protection system (sprinklers). The big question has to do with our sanctuary. The water flowed in from the ministry mall area and side corridors and infiltrated at least half of the sanctuary. However, as bad as this is and despite all the inconveniences we are encountering, God continues to provide and bless us. One local church in our area even offered to pay our insurance deductible!
I am currently preaching through the Book of Acts. This is the second time I have preached Acts. I started this series in January 2019, and we are only currently on chapter 13! It will take a while to finish, but we are not in any hurry. We love to study the Word of God at our church. I am so blessed to serve a congregation that desires to know God fully through His perfect Word. Last Sunday, I preached from Acts 13, in which the Apostle Paul delivers his powerful sermon in Antioch of Pisidia. After telling the hearers of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His burial, he tells them, "but God." I love this. Many times throughout the Bible, we read this hopeful phrase, "but God." It usually follows a harsh reality. And that is the way it is for the Church of God today. We are not always protected from hard days, like what we encountered through the flooding of our church campus. But God always works things out for the good of His people (Romans 8:28). I have seen this so many times. Tragedy happens, but God comes through for His people.
What difficulty are you going through today? I do not know how or when, but trust me, friend, God will come through. He always does. And what is so neat is that you will come out better and stronger because God is for you and He has an awesome plan for your life.
Troubles come, BUT GOD!
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