"Look Up, and Depend on God"

God's kingdom is above any kingdom of this earth. In this time of uncertainty and turmoil, Jon reminded us of this verse: Isaiah 9:7…of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end." Keeping that verse in mind, we need to put our hope in Jesus and be at peace because we know who holds the future. Regardless of whether or not we like the outcome of the election, we can be at peace because God's kingdom is above all. Pastor Jon shared with us the story of David from the Bible and which points us David's dependency on God. Dependency on the Lord is a vital part of our relationship with the Lord. Overall, we are dependent on a giving, loving, generous God. To illustrate this further, Pastor Jon invited Kate Vacanti of the Let Them Laugh Out Loud Ministry (LOL) to share her story. LOL recently built a new volunteer center next door to NorthGate. The LOL ministry helps provide clean water in Sierra Leone by drilling water wells. Along their building project, there were many moments in which Kate and the LOL team felt at the end of their rope. There were several examples she shared which portrayed their need to depend on God – even when their circumstances were tough. The building across the street is just one example. Kate also told the story of LOL's newest project – a safe house. God had spoken to Kate about starting a campaign to build a safe house, even thought she was not ready to do so. She reluctantly listened to God – and long story short – God provided $20,000 for the completion of the safe house. Pastor Jon concluded his message with the story of NorthGate. At almost every point of the story, NorthGate took steps of faith and depended on God's provision. God provided and still continues to provide. Pastor Jon reminded us that when we feel helpless or without hope, we need to look to God. This helps us change our perspective and invites the Lord to help us.