GATE CITY DEVOTIONAL WHEN PEOPLE OF FAITH FACE A MOUNTAIN “Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the  Lord  spoke in that day;” are the words the aged warrior, Caleb, said in Joshua 14:12. After seeing the beauty of the Promised Land forty years before then wandering in the wilderness for forty years, Caleb stood as sure and strong in his faith as he was in his youth. He knew that Jehovah God had promised this land to the people of Israel, all they had to do was conqueror it. Even at his advanced age, he wanted the mountain and he knew it would be given to him. It wasn’t that he was so sure of his fighting skills or the strength of his army. Caleb was sure of who his God was and knew that God’s promises were like money in the bank. Caleb could say with confidence “give me this mountain.” Right now, in the world, in the United States, in Gladbrook, in our churches, we are facing a mountain. Not a one of us has lived through a pandemic in our lifetimes. This is new and it is a mountain. It will take all of us, in unified faith, to conqueror it. That means following guidelines to keep everyone safe but it also means encouraging others. Use your phone, texts, or Facebook, or email to connect to one another. Send encouraging Bible verses. Read a passage from a good devotional book (like Pathway, a 40 Day Lenten Devotional) to each other. Leave a gift-wrapped roll of toilet on somebody’s doorstep. Practice safety but practice faithfulness. Jeremiah 29:11 gives us a promise. Remember God’s promises are like money in the bank. They will unfold before us. Jeremiah said, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This mountain is not here to harm us. The virus may be out to get us but God wants us to live with hope and confidence in the future. Take that to the bank.