Who is like you, God? Though you have made me see troubles,many and bitter,you will restore my life again;from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God;I will sing praise to you with the lyre,Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you . . . I whom you have delivered. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long,for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.(Psalm 71:19-24)

Troubles come in life. They can bring us to our lowest low and yet God remains with us. He allows us to experience things in life for His glory and to bring us closer to Him. The lower we fall, the deeper He reaches down to uplift us and the the more we experience His glory! But He never leaves us unless we decide to forsake His presence!

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”(Psalm 92:12-15)

Like the trees mentioned above, we will go through growth spurts and times of drought. Yet we must realize that our roots in faith run deep and we must stay firmly planted in His promises. Despite our physical troubles, we must continue to proclaim His faithfulness. My personal prayer is that I remain faithful to Him despite the struggles I am going through. I desire to remain active, physically and spiritually well into my 90's so as to be a legacy for my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Even through the struggles of mission life, God provides in His timing. As Isaiah wrote below, it is God who sustains us all . . . from birth to eternity! Who or what can be better that God?

“Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel,you whom I have upheld since your birth,and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you;I will sustain you and I will rescue you. “With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? (Isaiah 46:3-5)