Dear Northside
Living in Zimbabwe is full of ups and downs. How are we meant to navigate this roller-coaster ride? James 5 verse 13 says, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.” How do we handle the lows and the highs?
Prayer and Praise!
Throughout our lives, we will all experience both suffering and joy. We will have times of great grief and times of overwhelming happiness. Sometimes, these experiences will happen in separate seasons. But at other times, they will merge at the same time. In either case, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, praise was the clear next step. This might seem obvious, but when suffering clouds our thinking, we can sometimes forget to prioritise prayer. And when things are going well and life is good, it’s easy to just enjoy the season and not stop to praise God. But every season of life is an opportunity to put into practice what James wrote about… When we are suffering, let us pray. When those around us are suffering, let us pray. When we are feeling blessed or cheerful, let us thank God. When others are happy, let us praise God and celebrate with them. In every circumstance or situation, let’s remember to take both our prayer and praise to God. When we do that, we keep our eyes on Jesus, and He helps us endure every situation we face.
So, what are you facing right now? Take a moment to pray to God and tell Him all you’re going through. Then, reflect on the good things happening in your life, and praise Him for who He is!
Welcome to the first week of November. On the one hand, it is good to know the year is almost done. We have survived. But on the other hand, we have a lot to do before the end of the year. We always like to end the year strongly. As we approach the end of the book of Ruth, we are starting to look forward and plan for our Christmas program. The most organised so far is our Décor Ministry Team. I am excited to see what they will do in the Sanctuary this year.
Please make every effort to attend our Christmas events and start to think about who you could invite to join you. Apart from our Advent and Christmas Day services, we will hold our Service of Remembrance and Carols by Candlelight service. These are 2 very different services, but both are very special.
Please do not forget the Church Ordinary Meeting on Sunday, 23 November, after the service. And please pray for the 2 ladies going through membership classes. This is the last church meeting of the year, so come and join us as we celebrate all that God has done in and through us in 2025. We will also be presenting the budget for 2026 to the members for their approval.
Thank you, and God bless, Pastor Gary