Hope in the Midst of Uncertainty

The one thing we learn again and again, is that God's plan is much greater than our own. Period. While no one was prepared for the impacts and changes that this past season has brought on the whole world, we trust in God's unchanging word and promises to us.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope...” -Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

This is one of the most common scriptures. But have you ever read past verse 11, to see what God's promise entails?

“...In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” - Jeremiah 29:12-14 NLT

Wow, what an awesome promise! When we pray, God listens. He will restore us. Amen.

As a family, we will continue to pray for the people who've lost loved ones, their jobs, businesses, and beyond during this unexpected season. I share a deep empathy with the circumstances people are encountering, and I want to share with you today a part of my testimony.

During this time I've reflected a lot. I was sharing with Amelia about my experience growing up, and how I overcame so many challenges from my past because of God's grace over my life. I grew up in the Cape Flats of Cape Town. Experiencing tragedy was a normal thing for me and my neighbors. In South Africa, for centuries there has been a social distance barrier between the rich and the poor. A struggle between the powerful and the powerless.

Today, when you walk or drive through our townships and shanty towns, you can visually see the despair, and hopelessness that so many people experience from systemic + unfair treatment, the lack of proper resources, and unkept promises. For my community, tragedy is normal. People dying from diseases is normal. People living off of food parcels is not a new thing. People, and I mean masses of people living from government funding is the normal. Living in hopeless circumstances is normal. So many people in my community, myself included, are used to years of uncertainty.

Often when we look at another person's circumstances, it's extremely easy to judge, rather than listen to the person's actual story. My story is not about politics or their resourcing strategies. My testimony focuses on God's restoration and hope in the midst of the chaos happening around us.

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble." -Psalm 46 NLT

The reality is there will be difficult times, but God promises to be our refuge, and He promises to provide strength for us. I have the privilege to tell my story of hope today because God provided strength for me in my difficult times in my past. I know what it means to go to bed not knowing where the next meal comes from. Or to sit in people's homes hoping they will give you a meal, just to end up going home without receiving anything. I know what it means to always get hand-me-downs from friends. Only to be told publicly in the street the next day that I am wearing their old clothes. I know what it means to not be able to go on school field trips because there was never extra money in the house to enjoy luxury things. The one thing that I did have was a praying mother who believed in Jesus, the hope of the world. As a born again Christian, I now see how her prayers helped us through those challenging times. We never died of hunger, and we never stopped existing just because we didn't have a status or branded clothing. Today I'm alive and a living testimony that even in the midst of all of those difficult trials, GOD kept us in his victorious right hand.

From where I come from, my dreams were considered out of reach and impossible. But, God placed a yearning desire in my heart to one day preach in the United States. In November of 2019, that dream became a reality. I had the privilege of flying for the first time internationally to the USA. God listened to my prayers, and even orchestrated the perfect season for me to go and minister. I had the amazing honor to preach the Gospel to University students in Boulder, Colorado. Oh, and I got to experience SNOW, not just once but multiple times during my travels in the States. God's timing is much better than my own preferred schedule, and I can't express that enough.

Today I'm married and have two beautiful boys. My ministry is to inspire and share with everyone I meet, including men and women in and outside of prison, that with prayer, God reveals that all things are possible through his perfect plan for us.

-Marco Lodewyk

With Love,

The Lodewyk Family

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