God Is Doing Good Things

We are asking the Cherrydale church family, “What has God been showing you during the COVID-19 pandemic?” Here’s what they’re saying:

(We want to know what He’s been teaching you, too! Please submit your picture and a short paragraph or video to [email protected].)

“God has been teaching us to worship Him in all circumstances and to be thankful for the many gifts He has blessed us with in this strange season of life (health, ability to work from home, a connected church family, increased opportunities to share our faith, Netflix and so many more).” — Mike and Lindsay Danylak, members of Cherrydale Baptist Church
 “God has been reminding us through this humbling experience to fear the Lord, fully trust in the Lord, as He is our help and shield, refuge and strength. We are grateful for the prolonged quality family time (due to flight cancellations and policy changes) and the peace He gives us in the storm.” – Jing Guo, member of Cherrydale Baptist Church
“I’ve been reading the psalms a lot, learning how to communicate with God honestly, communicating everything I feel…I have thankfulness for my health and for the hope that I have in Him. There’s a bigger picture and meaning to this life…Thankful for our church family. Even though I’m alone, I’m thankful for how people have reached out” – Sarah Byrd, member of Cherrydale Baptist Church  (Watch Sarah’s video testimony on Facebook).
“Faith drives out fear…one thing that God is continuing to reveal to me is that He is faithful” — Matthew Dong, member of Cherrydale Baptist Church (Watch Matt’s video testimony on Facebook).
“God has been showing me that He can do amazing things, if only I will trust Him. Whether it be giving me words to encourage others to seek a relationship with Him or resolving problems with technology, Jesus’ statement ‘therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,’ is coming alive in my life” (Mark 11:24). – Mary Curtis, member of Cherrydale Baptist Church
“I think the covid-19 situation can serve as a wakeup call (I would say ‘wakeup shake’) as it affects the whole world in the same way and at the same time with higher intensity than we have ever witnessed. At this point in time, where a lot of people globally are distressed, confused and worried, my hope is that, this wakeup shake serves us to realize what matters most is knowing the Sovereign God and seeking His everlasting kingdom. As believers, what keeps our sanity, inner tranquility is our faith in God. Knowing who we are, our identity in Christ and our purpose both in living and in departing from this world. Since the beginning of this year, the verse I have been contemplating most is Romans 15:13- ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.’ This is very true and encouraging. Today and tomorrow, let’s hold tight to our faith in Christ as He is worthy of all holdings. May you experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding in believing! I pray Romans 15:13 on all of us!” – Selam O’Donnell, member of Cherrydale Baptist Church
“God has been putting this verse in my heart multiple times over the last few months…now it’s more important than ever in how He’s been working in my life: ‘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’ (Deut. 31:8) …God does not change – He is constant. Trust and follow Him because He’s in control no matter what. That’s been a huge source of comfort to me.” – Ted Schweitzer, firefighter and member of Cherrydale Baptist Church (Watch Ted’s video testimony on Facebook).
“We use the term ‘essential’ all the time. However, what does this time teach us about its true meaning?

“These past few months have been very important in determining what exactly is essential in our lives.We hear of certain jobs, material goods (toilet paper!), and food that are essential. However, during this global pandemic, we are being taught exactly what we can live without, and what things we absolutely can NOT live without. We are forced to examine and re-examine with the utmost scrutiny what we truly need to survive in this life.

“As a physician, my vocation has been deemed ‘essential’ during a global pandemic. I am thankful to be able to continue my work. And in this season, I find myself treating more and more patients with a very high anxiety over potentially losing things they deem essential to living. And what I have learned is that every one of us has made a personal choice over what is essential in our respective lives.

“But from God’s perspective, He is showing us that things we classified as vital are not. And those things that we worshiped or put ahead of God have now been removed. “People worship sports stars, stadiums and gyms? Gone! People worship actors and movie theaters? Gone! People worship events and gatherings? Gone! People worship even necessary things such as careers and financial security.

“Instead, God is revealing that the one thing most essential is Him! Perhaps in order to learn this truth, we needed to have everything blocking our view removed. With those things gone, we can relearn things about God. We can relearn things about ourselves that God wants to teach us, such as perseverance, character, and hope through this time of suffering (Rom 5:3-5). By removing what distracts us from God, we find out we can indeed survive without those things we thought were so essential before.

“When our lives return to normal (whatever that means), we can use what God has shown us as essential to embrace our new normal. Moving forward, may we never forget or neglect the thing of the utmost importance…God.” – Alphonse Mehany, member of Cherrydale Baptist Church