Hope for the Unknown
In April 2020, my husband Randy and I began isolating due to the COVID outbreak. We were accustomed to seeing family multiple times a week. Because of our age, we were both very afraid of contracting the virus and of all of the “unknowns” at the time. It was lonely, and we weren’t sure what to place our hope in. Our daughter, Kristen, is on staff as the Missions Coordinator at City Awakening. We have always enjoyed attending church with her when we visit, so when she suggested we watch the service online with her, we were eager to join. Although we were hours apart, it felt like we were going to church together each week.
I have had a belief in God for a long time. I first heard and understood that Jesus was my Savior when Kristen was in middle school. She would have me drop her off at Sunday School with her best friend and I would go home, too nervous to go to the service by myself. One Sunday I decided to go to the service and from there I began to see what Jesus had done for me and I wanted to live for him. Over the course of the years, my husband and I sporadically attended churches in our area. We felt discouraged at times that we weren’t really learning anything about God or the Bible when we would attend church. Slowly we stopped going all together.
As we started watching City Awakening’s services online, we were amazed by how intentionally the Bible was being taught. We started learning new things about Scripture, Jesus, and how we were to respond to His message. Louis, Alex, and Zack preach with passion and sincerity and leave us eager to learn more about God and our lives in Him. I’ve been reminded that the Bible is God’s way of speaking to me and telling me about Himself. I have found refuge in His Word and He is constantly reminding me that he cares for me and is with me. I feel more peaceful knowing that my future is secure in Him and not my circumstances or comfort.
This past year has been a wake-up call. When our lives are comfortable, it’s easy to forget that we need God or that He is even there. Although this year has been challenging, and at times scary, we are thankful for how God has used the pandemic to bring us closer to Him. We were sad to not see our family, especially our six grandchildren. We weren’t sure how long the isolation would last, and we started to grow anxious as the days and weeks passed. But God met us in our loneliness and reminded us of His faithfulness even in dark times. God used City Awakening to lead us back to Him.
Although we do not attend City Awakening in person, we are grateful for the online services that we have attended during this past year. They have been an anchor for our weeks, giving us fresh hope and a desire to love Jesus and follow Him wherever He asks us to go. We are thankful for a church that values God’s Word and has helped reignite our desire to read Scripture and learn more about Him.