I just celebrated a birthday. One of those milestone birthdays that gets lots of attention. You know, as I look back over these years, I can see one thing that stands out so clearly over all the many years and through the many places I’ve been – the faithfulness of God. I think back to a time when as a child of eight years old, I realized I was lost and needed a Savior, and I committed my heart to Jesus Christ.

Only a few short years later I felt a clear calling from God to work towards a lifetime of service as a missionary. I hardly knew anything about missions at the time, except that missionaries told others about Jesus and the Bible. At that time I was 10 years old and I turned my life over to the Lord.

Like most teenagers, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be or what I wanted to do when I grew up. However, one thing that I did always know was that God was watching out for me and that he had a plan for my life.

At college I met a great guy and we fell in love. We decided to serve in the mission field after we were married. That was an exciting time in our lives, going off to do something totally new and uncertain. Despite the excitement that we had, things in Africa were often quite challenging.

There were personal struggles, challenges with being away from family and friends, and the political situation did not always seem stable. Through it all God was faithful to us without fail. Everything we needed, whether it be food or clothes for our new born, was provided to use even though it had seemed impossible.

After leaving Africa we came back to the U.S. and then headed off to France. Through all of the situations that we have been in and all the challenges that were involved, God has always taken care of us and supplied all of our needs.

God brought us back to the States, and we have been in Hanover over fifteen years. And in those fifteen years, God has been just as faithful on this side of the ocean as He was on the other side. He is good, my friend. He meets every need.

It reminds me of the song lyrics, “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father. There is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.” As I look back on my life and see the things that He has done for me an my family I can certainly say, “Great is Thy faithfulness!

Dr. Ann Shorb is a counselor in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She provides professional counseling for a wide variety of issues including depression, marital issues, family issues, stress, ADHD, anxiety, grief and much more.

categories: god’s protection,missions,missionaries,christian faith,god,bible,faith,prayer,salvation,christian,christianity,religion

In the Bible we read a story about two men: one a great, great big man who didn’t love God, and didn’t know God, and didn’t really want anything to do with the true and living God; and another, an average sized young man who did love God, and served God, and wanted to do whatever God wanted Him to do.

You know it as the story of David and Goliath, and you know how it turns out. Two opposing armies were camped in a valley and it led up to one of the most famous, and quick, battles in history. On one side were the Israelites, who were God’s chosen people. On the other side was the army of the Philistines, a group of people that wanted nothing to do with the God of Israel.

The army of the Philistines had threatened to wipe out the children of Israel and they sent their biggest man, Goliath, with a challenge to say, “Whoever will come and fight me, I will fight. If I win, you will be our slaves; and if you win, we will be your slaves.”

The frightened Israelite army had no one that they thought would stand a chance against Goliath, until David volunteered. David was a young man with amazing faith in God and he trusted that if this is what God wanted him to do, He would provide the strength for David.

David went out to face Goliath without the weapons and the strength that most people would think were necessary to even have a slim chance to come out alive, but David did have complete faith in God. He trusted that despite the odds, God would supply him with everything he needed to win this fight.

You know how the story ends. David beat Goliath because of his unwavering faith. As he approached the giant he said “I come to you not with my strength and might, but in the name of the Lord.” Regardless of what obstacles and challenges you are going through in your life, follow David’s example. Trust God to provide for your needs and leave it up to Him.

How can you do that? As you trust Him, He’ll just make things happen that you never believed possible. He’ll give you extra strength. He’ll give you extra courage. He can provide extra funds, extra work, extra assurance, extra peace, extra calm, extra kind people to help mend broken hearts. He can do all. Remember, my friend, He can give you the power to do and to take care of whatever needs to be, no matter what the circumstances.

Dr. Ann Shorb is a professional counselor in Pennsylvania in PA, speaker, and writer. You can get more information at the website of her ministry, Christian Counseling & Educational Services.