MAY 2024

I lived in a time when children went to school for nine months and had three months off during the summer. We usually got out of school after Memorial Day and returned to school sometime around Labor Day. Three full months away from school was a nice break. However, returning to school after a full summer break was a challenge. Nevertheless, this schedule made the month of May special because I associated it with the end of school.

As I became an adult, I began to associate May with another special occasion. I married my best friend, the love of my life—Ms. Tammy, on May 10, 1997. For the last 27 years God has grown our faith in Him and our love for one another in amazing ways. As a relatively newlywed, we moved to New Orleans towards the end of 1999 to begin seminary. I was enrolled in a graduate program in Georgia, finishing a master’s degree in education. So, for a brief time, I was enrolled in two schools, worked full time, and preached on the weekends. I look back on those days and wonder how we did it. But God saw us through and has been with us every single day for the past 25 years. Now, He has blessed us tremendously by bringing us to Bethel Baptist Church.

As the weather begins to turn hotter and the days get longer, take some time to reflect upon the goodness of God over the course of your life. God’s goodness is present in challenging times, even though in many instances we do not recognize it in the moment of difficulty. Once we move into a period of peace, then we can look back and see God’s hand of mercy, grace, and goodness on us the whole time. I am truly grateful for God’s goodness throughout my life.

The psalmist said in Psalm 34:8, Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him! Nahum really is a book in the Bible. Read what he said in a very stressful situation, The Lord is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him (Nahum 1:7). The Assyrian Empire was a massive, brutal, blood-thirsty juggernaut that was destroying every nation and people group in its way. But God reassured Nahum that the wicked do not get away with their wickedness forever. Assyria would fall!

My prayer and desire for you is that your life is full of love, peace, hope, and joy. However, life can be very difficult and full of stress and struggle. If you are in a season of stress and struggle right now, hold on to the reality that God is good, and His mercies are new every morning. Hold on to the fact that although God’s goodness may feel like a distinct memory in your current situation, He is still big and beautiful. Hold on to the fact that one day you will be able to look back at the stressful struggle and see how God was with you, guiding you, protecting you, and providing for you all along. I know it may be tough in the moment of misery but remember those awesome words of the sons of Korah in Psalm 46: 1 God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. 2 Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah

-Pastor Clint Miller