“The rest of this Psalm reveals God’s heart for the world, until Jesus comes again. I find it honest and confronting in its assessment of humanity. The people were lost. They wandered. They were at their wits’ end … but when they cried out to the Lord, he heard them and delivered them. In response, they gave thanks.

“Sometimes, when I talk to people, or ask them about their faith story, they say, ‘I’m not very interesting. It’s a bit boring. I haven’t got a story.’ It’s not true. We’re all struggling, in different ways, in our world and our homes. But we can cry out to God and he hears us. God’s grand story doesn’t finish with lost-ness. It finishes with the promise that God saves us, through the life and death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus.

“I first cried out to the Lord when I was 12 years old. Back then, I was aware of not being good enough, or acceptable to God, or to anyone at all. Then I made one friend at high school and she invited me to the Christian group. I went with her and heard that there was a God, sovereign over everything, creator of all things, and over time itself. He didn’t leave us to our own devices. He saved us through his Son, the Lord Jesus. He wanted us to know him! I was simply amazed. I sat there, unmoving, knowing that I couldn’t fix myself, but I could cry out to the Lord. And he heard me. I was absolutely sure of it. I’ve been thankful to God every day since, for 40 years.

“But, of course, life hasn’t always been easy. My husband and I spent years serving in Nepal, as physiotherapists and part of the local church community. We loved it and we would do it all over again, but it was often hard. We lived through civil war and shoot-on-sight curfews and seven monsoons. I home-schooled our three sons on a Himalayan ridge. We were daily confronted by need and impossible questions. But we also learned that God comforts and enables. He gives great joy in service. He doesn’t always take away the pain, but he helps us to cling on to his promises, and to hope in his wonderful grace. He grows our faith in the Lord Jesus.

“I think that part of our response to his great love is to share our stories of faith with each other. We really want to point to what God is like, in everything – on the ordinary days and in the middle of stressful deadlines, as well as in times of growth and provision. And on the hard days, when we struggle to get out of bed, perhaps it will be the sharing of honest stories that will help us to see the goodness of God again.

“Thank you to all those who have shared their stories with me, so far. If anyone else would like to be a blessing to others, and share a part of their faith story, please email me here.”

Naomi’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series. Click here for more Faith Stories, compiled by Naomi.