Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I greet you in the name of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.
With this, I would first and foremost like to appreciate the GPENreformation team for the words of Hope and encouragement during this hard pandemic period caused by COVID-19 all over world. At the same time, allow me to encourage the GPENreformation Ambassadors, parents and students from different Protestant schools around the world to be strong and courageous while waiting for the time of God to release us from the hardships related with COVID-19 itself and its consequences.
With the key verses of Jeremiah’s lamentations:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
As the prophet Jeremiah went through terrible times, we are also experiencing an extremely difficult season around the world. The uncertainty is exhausting. People are suffering. In the midst of it, we are trying our best to help the people around us. We provide food, we provide spiritual direction and counsel. And yet, we might feel that our efforts are not being seen or make a difference. We are limited in our resources and in our capacity to help people as the need is big.
What we can learn from Jeremiah is that lament is a valid reaction to our limits, to the situation we are in. God does not shy away from our anger and our frustrations. He feels with us when we lament. Lamenting is a way to realize the end of our strength. Lamenting is a way to let go of our despair. Lament helps us to realize we are not in control, but God is still there for us, he knows everything that is happening to us for every single second.
During these times, it’s ok to struggle, it’s ok to be exhausted, and it’s ok to feel desperate, but let us not despair. Let’s bring our laments, our sorrows and our fears before God together. He is here with us. He has not given up on us and he will never give up. We can join Jeremiah in holding on to hope, trusting that God’s mercy and faithfulness is new every morning. I hope you are safe and healthy during these times.
May God protect and provide each one of us and let’s continue having this encouraging culture for the Glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Best Regards,
Gilbert MUHIRE
GPENreformation Ambassador
Kigali-Rwanda
