Unbeknownst to us, we are already in the latter half of September. Days continue to pass so quickly, and soon we will enter the final part of this year. If we look back at the journey of the past few months, there are certainly many things we have been through. There has been joy, struggles, answered prayers, but perhaps there are also prayers whose answers we have not yet seen. However, one thing remains the same: God is still with us to this day. God's Word says in 1 Samuel 7:12: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Eben-ezer, saying, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us.'" The phrase "thus far the LORD has helped us" serves as a reminder that we can stand to this day not solely because of our own strength and abilities, but because of God's grace and help.
Perhaps our journey throughout this year has not always been easy. There were plans that didn't go as we expected. Circumstances changed. Doors seemed to close. There might even have been times when we asked, "Lord, why must it be this way?" But when we look back at our life's journey, we will find that in the midst of all those circumstances, God's hand never left us.
At the end of September, let's not just count how many targets have not been met. Let us also remember how far God has brought and sustained us. Our journey is not over yet. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:13–14: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." We cannot change what has happened in the past, but we can choose how we will live the days God still entrusts to us. Don't let yesterday's failures stop our progress. Nor should yesterday's successes make us stop growing.
Continue to build a life of prayer, continue to love God's Word, continue to guard your faith, continue to be faithful in service, and continue to grow in the knowledge of God. There is still a journey we must undertake. There are still opportunities to be a blessing. There are still people we can love. There are still souls we can reach. And there are still parts of our lives that God wants to shape. Therefore, let us live out the rest of September and the days ahead with hearts full of thanksgiving and ever-strengthening faith. If God has helped us to this day, we believe the same God will guide our next steps. "Thus far the LORD has helped us." For we do not walk alone. God walks with us. The Lord Jesus bless you.