Security In Times Of Defeat

Security in Times of Defeat

Those who trust in the LORD are as secure as Mount Zion;

Psalm 125:1

For all the praise the Amish receive, some people may think that everything the Amish do succeeds. This is not the case. Jobs are lost, crops disappoint, and children choose the world’s way over God’s way. In some cases whole communities fail. Mary Ellis, one of my writer friends, discovered this while doing research for one of her novels.

Readers and writers of Amish fiction usually think about new settlements forming and growing larger each year. During my research of Love Comes to Paradise, I discovered that’s not always the case. In Missouri, the oldest settlement was founded in 1953, but several communities were founded before the Civil War and went extinct. During the Civil War, the Amish were often at the mercy of both Union and Confederate troops since both sides stole their crops, cattle and pigs. The Hickory County settlement disbanded in 1882 due to crop failures, financial losses during the Civil War, and lack of congregational growth. A settlement near Centralia in Audrain County, (location of my fictional story) failed to thrive due to erratic weather, periods of drought alternating with heavy, persistent flooding. The last two Amish families moved away in 1917.

No matter who we are, we will face times of struggle, failure, and disappointment in this life. If things were perfect here on earth, we wouldn’t need God, and we wouldn’t look forward to eternity! No matter how defeat comes, we are to trust in the Lord. Trust reminds us that our hearts and souls are secure even when the world around us crumbles. Trust causes us to cling to Romans 8:28: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Are you facing a disappointing struggle today? You will not be defeated when God is strong in you. Even if you have lost much in the world’s eyes, you have access to even more in God’s.

Dear heavenly Father, more than once I’ve asked why You allow such hard things into my life. Today, instead of asking why, I lift my voice in praise!