The Psalmist exclaimed, “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3-4). This is how great the love of God is toward us.

Today is the last day of 2014 and it is good to recognize the love of God in our lives. I know many of us have had sad and miserable times in 2014, but as long as we are alive, we must identify and recognize that it is the Grace of God that has sustained us individually.

Many have lost loved ones including myself. Many disasters happened in 2014. Notable amongst them were the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on March 8 and the recent disappearance of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 which was found yesterday but sadly was in wreckage. There were many natural disasters such as the Volcano in Hawaii, the typhoon in the Philippines, the wildfires in California and the extreme weather witnessed in many parts of America and the Western world. There was outbreak of incurable diseases such as Ebola; and Cholera also took lives of many people in Africa.

Terrorism was on the rise. Innocent lives were taken by Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab in Africa, whilst the Islamic State (IS) also took many lives in the Middle East. In the Christian world, we lost Dr. Myles Monroe, his wife and daughter to a tragic Air Crash. The list could be endless.

We may not understand why this or that person died suddenly; or why a person we hold in high esteem and consider good in our eyes dies tragically. But what I know is that our God is a loving God. In the face of disasters, it is difficult to see the love of God. But, I want to assure you that, God is an embodiment of love and continues to love us. He is daily calling the world to come to repentance. As it is written, God is “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”, (2 Peter 3:9). Things that are happening in the world should draw us closer to God, for our days in this world are but “a shadow that passeth away”, (Psalm 144:4).

I urge you by the mercies of the LORD to draw closer to God. These disasters and tragedies have long been foretold by the prophets and our Lord Jesus Christ. We are told that “in the last days perilous times shall come”, (2 Timothy 3:1). We are in that period and we must recognize it and draw closer to God.

Despite all the bad things that have happened in 2014, I believe if we were to count our blessings one by one, we will truly know that our blessings far outweigh our misfortunes. I want to encourage you to remember that the love of God is truly unfathomable and no one should tell you otherwise. Let no one tell you that God is not loving because of disasters that have happened. As you and I prepare to enter 2015, let us not waver in well doing. Let us not waver in serving the Lord wholeheartedly. Remember, God is loving and faithful.

May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding carry you into and through 2015! Shalom!

By: Seth Gogo Egoeh