Great Day to be a Maryland/Delaware Baptist!

By Dr. Kevin Smith

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10 (KJV)

It is a great day to be a Maryland/Delaware Baptist! Did I just write that? Yes, I did. Don’t I know that we are in the middle of a global pandemic? Yes, I do. It is still a great day to be a Maryland/Delaware Baptist.

God’s people have often recognized His glory in challenging times. The Church has been a witness to God’s glory in the midst of all types of circumstances in the broader societies in which she has found herself — previous global pandemics and plagues, regional wars, world wars, natural disasters with earthquakes or hurricanes or tornadoes, the burning of church buildings after a lightning strike or their vandalization. Whatever the challenge, God’s people have responded to unconventional circumstances in many ways that have brought glory to God. Christians have responded to tragedies by sacrificially loving their neighbors while other citizens resorted to self-preserving, selfish modes of living.

The grounding element for Jesus’ disciples is a desire to honor Him as we suffer and experience trials. My late pastor often cited Proverbs 24:10 as a means of encouraging the saints to be strong in the Lord during difficult times. In line with Psalm 27, the Lord truly is our strength in all types of situations.

May that be the testimony of Maryland/Delaware Baptists.

Dr. Kevin Smith serves as the executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware

Cover photo provided by Connecting Church in Abingdon, Maryland