Martha Olawale

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

Thank God we made it! We’ve stepped into another year and the beginning of a future we get to create with God. Although 2023 was a year with many challenges, He remained God at each turn. Despite the uproar, fidgeting, and confusion, we were shielded by His goodness.

God was faithful to His promises to never leave nor forsake us, even in the darkest seasons of the past year. He lifted us above the high waters and gave us hope to face another morning. He wiped our tears away when we cried, leading us beside the still waters. Although our legs were wobbly along the way, He held us up with His outstretched arms. Like David, although we walked in the valley of the shadow of death, He was with us to light our paths. He paved a road for us in the wilderness and caused the sun to break through our death valleys.

God always comes through for His own and hides them under the shadow of His wings. Just as every valley has mountains around it, and every darkest hour has the dawn of the day in its morning, we stand assured that we are not alone. For all He is, I will put my last drop of blood on the line to choose God’s faithfulness over the fear of tomorrow. And fight the good fight of faith with Him by me over complacency.

As lifelong benefactors of God's goodness and salvation in Christ, despite all the weight placed on us by the world and our brokenness, I dare say, “GOD IS GOOD!” He is the reason we are still standing and the hope in our hopelessness. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but one thing is sure: the Almighty God has gone before us, and we are not afraid. Not because we have things figured out but because we walk with the ‘I AM.’ He is the Father who sticks around no matter how messy the journey gets and never fails.