Read: Amos 3:1-8

When you face difficult things in your life, what do you do about it? Do they make you scared and worried?

The people who lived in Amos’ days were happy with how their life was going. But Amos told them that they had to have a closer look at their life. When the trumpet sounded, they knew that it was time for war, but when other calamities came to them, they had no idea that they came from the Lord. Calamities are very difficult things or disasters. So, when these disasters came, they didn’t recognize them as coming from the Lord.

What about when bad things happen in your life or in the world? Do you realise that they are part of God’s plan for your life?

So, what should we do when difficult things become a part of our life? What should you do if your grandparent dies or the whole world suffers from a terrible sickness? I’m sure you know that it is the Lord that sends these things. But does that mean that we should just accept it and keep going? Are we allowed to be sad and struggle with these things?

Of course we will struggle during difficult times. Jesus himself struggled in the garden before his death and asked God to take away the burden if he could. But we also need to use these difficult times to look at our own lives. God is using these difficult things to make you grow closer to him. Maybe the Lord wants us to look closely at our own lives and see if he is the most important one in our lives. Maybe the Lord is reminding us to put all our trust in him alone and not in our own things. Maybe the Lord is reminding us to focus on serving him more in our lives.

And the Lord does this because he loves you. He wants you, his precious child, to keep serving him. That’s why the Lord uses everything in your life to help you to serve him better.

Reflection with your child:

How can the Lord use difficult things in your life?

Source: Sermon by Rev. A. Veldman