President’s Message January-February 2018

“Another Year of God’s Grace”
Dear Members and Friends of our ELS:
“OK, now you can open your eyes!”
A sense of excitement prevails. What will be the big “reveal?” The mood is that of celebration – a birthday, a graduation, a party held in one’s honor.
How different was the mood for a man named Gehazi. Surrounded by an army of Arameans, the servant of Elisha was terrified for the welfare of Israel and for his own life and that of the prophet. Horses and chariots encircled the city of Dothan. Far from celebration, here was total devastation! “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked his master.
Elisha exuded calm assurance. Prayerfully, the prophet asked the Lord to open Gehazi’s eyes.  God gave him the sight of a lifetime. “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). God’s holy angels, the hosts of heaven who were sent as protectors, became visible. No wonder Elisha exclaimed, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). What a scene for the weary and worried eyes of Gehazi to behold!
Entering another year of God’s grace no doubt comes with at least a little celebratory hoopla. Yet the parties, promises, and resolutions fade about as fast as seasons change. Threatening issues peek through on the horizon. Is guilt hanging on from the previous 365 calendar squares and accumulating clouds for the next round? Are we tested with health concerns? Worry about finances can easily suffocate our optimism. Then, there are bigger issues – the rise of nukes in the hands of unpredictable world leaders; unrest among many who feel disadvantaged; the proliferation of world religions countering the Christian faith; the dominance of secular humanism and the ascendance of atheism in the prestigious halls of academia.
As with Gehazi, we can become blind to the Lord’s reality and feel so trapped by our own sin-laden surroundings and the devil-driven armies eager to besiege us. But the Lord would have us, as his redeemed children through faith in the Savior Jesus, open our eyes! “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” God daily sends his angels to watch over us (Hebrews 1:14).
Even more assuring than an eye-opening sight of an army of angels, ringing us day in and day out, is the blessed promise of God’s great caring love that never fades. “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31, 32). Endless optimism is ours through the reconciling work of Christ!
Rev. John A. Moldstad, ELS President