Dear ARC Friends and Family,
God is an awesome God! He has walked with us every step of the way as we faced situations that have tested us and our reliance on Him. Many times, we weren’t sure how He was working when we needed things like money for vehicle repairs or rent, or other basic necessities like food. He blessed us daily and we could never adequately express what He has done and continues doing in our lives.
As I write this, todays’ devotion is Luke 12:22-32 which talks about God providing for our every need and trusting Him to provide daily for us. As a human being, it is easy for me to forget that and He uses these times to bring me back to a reliance on him. We don’t know what tomorrow looks like but we don’t need to know that. We have talked as a family about how precious this time of learning has been and how we never, ever again want to depend on a paycheck or a bank account for our security or peace of mind. We have experienced incredible freedom and we don’t ever want to lose that. It is easy to say that we don’t depend on those things, but there was a time when the thought of them not being there raised fear and anxiety. No more… worrying cannot add a single day to our lives beyond what God in His infinite love and mercy is already giving us. We can focus on spreading His Word and serving Him in whatever capacity He calls us to; He takes care of the rest.
In spite of the recent break-in to our vehicles and stolen property, we are and will always be thankful for His faithfulness to us. He calls us to pray for our enemies and be thankful in all circumstances. He always wants us to learn and grow during those times to really appreciate who He is. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
We do know that in the coming months, there will be many changes in our family. We are awaiting the births of 2 grandchildren within the next few months, as Craig and Casey and their families are expecting. Chris recently started working full time on the air base in Sioux Falls with the Air National Guard. Joel will be in his senior year of high school. Cheryl is working at the moment at New Life Treatment Center in Woodstock. Beginning in mid-June, I will be deploying to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt until Spring 2017. God is already working out the details of the future and we are confident that He knows what we need on a daily basis. Psalm 91 resonates with us in our current circumstance.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
We are filled with gratitude for how you have blessed us in so many ways, prayed for us, and encouraged us. May God continue to call this nation, and each of us, to repentance and revival. May He bless our brothers and sisters around the world, and all who are reading this.
In Christ’s love, Jeff Thacker