Here’s what Bruce Collier, the next gen pastor at First Baptist Medina in Ohio, has to say about standing firm in seasons of change:
The best way I know to stay grounded during seasons of transition in the church is to do what David did. In 1 Samuel 30:6, we see that David “encouraged himself in the Lord.”
Turn to God. Instead of panicking, giving up, or lashing out, David shifted his focus entirely to God. It’s so easy to turn to other church members, online youth pastor groups, or simply internalize everything we’re feeling. But David went right to the Lord.
Don’t get me wrong. There are certainly times when we need to seek out someone who can listen and care for us. But nobody knows us like our Father, and He’s ready to receive all the things we’re feeling and carrying.
Remember the past faithfulness of God. We’re all prone to forget things. That’s why I have an AirTag on everything important to me. (Is it just me?) I’m prone to forget, not just my keys, but what God has already done for me.
We need to remember how good and faithful He is and has been. For me, I like to start in the Word and find those promises. Another thing I do is: Go to my journal and write down what He’s done. You’ll be amazed at how your mind shifts when you intentionally remember how big God is. Your confidence in Him will grow.
Seek God’s direction. David asked Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod so he could ask the Lord what to do next! I love this. He didn’t just seek out his buddies. He didn’t hide himself and grieve forever. He leaned into the One who could make sense of the nonsense.
Take action. God told David to get up, pursue the enemy, promising that he would overtake them and recover all of it. I really believe that after David did all of the above, he was ready to refocus and move forward.
I think that’s true for us, too.
But I would hope we’d both eventually land on the faithfulness and sovereignty of God. We’d breathe deeply and calmly recount His goodness and His willingness to fight for us. We’d remind ourselves that God is still in control and that His promise to work “all things together for good” is still true.
