The Pastor’s Piece – Pastor Kevin Cernek, FCFI Chaplain
FCFI
February 1, 2026
Occasionally I get letters from people who either watch us on social media or read the articles I write in the paper. It’s encouraging to hear reports of how God is using this ministry to help others grow. Whenever I receive a letter, I send a short note back in response. I have pen pals all over the place from Tennessee to Texas to New Jersey and beyond. Most people send hand-written notes. One gentleman types his letters on an old-fashioned typewriter.
Last Friday night we went out to dinner with some friends. There were seven of us. We met at 6:00 o’clock. One couple were farmers and it had been a long day for them. They had been outdoors fighting the weather most of the day. Another friend works in Rockford, 30 miles away, where he gets up at 3:15 a.m. each day to get to work on time. Another friend works in Dubuque and had just gotten off work when he met us at the restaurant. When we arrived at our table, we all sat down, collectively exhausted from our week’s activities. I’m sure some of us were thinking about our warm living rooms and comfy easy chairs at home and wondering why we weren’t there instead.
We ordered our dinners and chatted a bit while we waited. The food came and conversation pretty much drew to a halt while we ate. Once we were done eating, we got our second wind and we sat at the table and talked for over three hours. (Business was slow so we weren’t selfishly hogging a table). We had thankful hearts as we drove home, for friends dear and true. The Bible says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother,” (Proverbs 18:24).
It’s nice to know that God sticks close to His own. The Bible says that if we reach out to God, we will find Him because He is not far from each one of us. He’s close.
A few years ago I was watching basketball on television. When it was almost game time, a young lady (about 12 years old) walked up to the microphone and when it was time, began to sing the national anthem. As she sang, she became frightened and forgot the words. When she stopped singing, there was an awkward period of time when the organ player didn’t know if she should keep playing or stop. The people in the crowd didn’t know if they should clap or remain quiet. The little girl began to cry. She just stood there crying in front of the camera, not knowing what to do. Just then, the coach of the NBA team – Mo Cheeks, walked over to where the little girl was standing, put his arm around her and began to sing the words of the song. Immediately she joined him and with tears streaming down her face, with him by her side, she bravely finished the song. It was very moving.
That’s what God does for us. We get brave and gird up our loins and we think we can take on the world – or whatever the task ahead might be. But then danger comes, or trials, or depression, or what have you, and we falter. Our knees begin to shake and our voices quiver, we forget the words, and all we can do is stand there and cry. But when we cry out to God to save us, He extends His strong arm and picks us up, and pulls us close, and says, “Here, let me help you with that.”
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe,” (Proverbs 18:10).
God is a God who draws near. We are not alone.
Life has a way of wearing us down. We start strong, but somewhere along the way our strength falters. And when we find it difficult to go on alone, God steps in for us, not with disappointment, but with compassion. He doesn’t wait for us to finish the song perfectly. He simply comes alongside us, puts His arm around us, and helps us finish what we couldn’t do on our own. That is the blessing of walking with the Lord: we may grow tired, but we never walk unsupported. He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother, the strong tower we can always run to, and the steady voice beside us when ours begins to tremble.
(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin)