"God is good, he is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knows those who trust in him" (Nahum 1:7). Nahum is a name in Hebrew that means "comfort," but these are the only words of comfort in his book. As one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament, Nahum shares this brief word about the nature of God and God’s relationship with his people who trust in him. God will be our stronghold in our time of trouble.

I have shared these words countless times as a direct quote. They are words of comfort, help and hope for people facing critical issues in their troubled times. As a pastor, it is important to share the wisdom and council of God found in his word.

Our oldest daughter, Valerie, was recently diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer, and I developed shingles in my right eye at about the same time. Never has Nahum’s sermon in a sentence meant more to me and my family.

In a two-hour prayer vigil by phone, family and friends affirmed together that in the face of life-threatening realities, "God is good," we love him because he first loved us. His love is totally unfailing, unchanging and unconditional. His love is rooted in his goodness, in his nature and in his character. His love is sacrificed as witnessed in the giving of his son to be our savior (John 3:16).

His love for us and all humanity is not because we are worthy; it has never been based upon our performance or lack of it. The testimony of Scripture is "God is love."

In that prayer vigil, though hundreds of miles apart, we prayed, sang and shared testimonies of the Lord’s great faithfulness. There was a unique sense of his presence across time and space that will never be forgotten by any of us.

It is also clear from Scripture that he loves us too much to let us stay the way we are, he wants us to become like him. His intention is that by his grace, the transforming work of his world and his spirit that we would become like him. We see him in his son, Jesus. His attitudes, his actions, his values can be ours.

God uses the dark difficult things of this life to draw us to him so that he can minister to us and through us to others.

We affirm Nahum’s good words and those of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28-29.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brothers.

There isn’t space here to share the context. To get the big picture, read Romans 8 or read the book of Romans to get the really big picture.

The Lord wants us to learn to trust him in a deeper, more profound but simple way because he loves us and wants us to experience him.

He says to us, "Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest into your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).

No one stands tall enough, nor strong enough to stand alone.

The Psalmist says it well for us: "Blessed be the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusted in him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise him." (Psalm 28: 6-7).

The Rev. C. Norman Moran is pastor of First Baptist Church of Morris.