Man, this world needs a lot of things. The pandemic is still raging, with the delta variant making even more people sick. There are breakthrough cases, cases of vaccinated individuals contracting the disease. And, while symptoms may be milder for vaccinated people, they become carriers and transmitters of the disease. 

There is unrest in Afghanistan. Regardless of your political leaning, we can all agree that the Taliban uprising and resurgence in Afghanistan is very troubling. All the efforts, all the sacrifice made by so many seems to have been for naught. 

We have huge storms during this time of year. There have been torrential rains, leading to massive flooding in several areas. People have lost everything they had, everything they had worked lifetimes to accumulate. More than things, though, people have lost lives because of the extensive floods.

Of course, how can we forget about the massive fires that have raged? It seems that there isn't a day that goes by that the fires aren't larger and that there aren't more of them. The fires remind us of how quickly everything we have, everything we know, everything we hold dear can be taken away. 

These and many other things can cause us to wonder what is going on. Is GOD still listening? Is He still working things for my good? We can know GOD is with us. We can know He is working all things out. We can know that He is in control. Today's Word, Psalm 125:2, NIV, reads, "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people both now and forevermore."

Even in the midst of all the turmoil, strife, and sadness, we know that GOD is still with us, surrounding us with His strength.

Be Blessed,

Mickey T