Jonathan Anderson
Jonathan, his wife Leah, and their son Leland (9 months).
Jonathan Anderson has been part of the 26 West Church family for just over 2 years, and serves on staff as the Facilities Coordinator. He and his wife, Leah, have both been involved in youth and have been active leaders in a community group.
Early in 2022, Leah was pregnant with their first child, they had recently moved into a new home, and Jon had transitioned to a different job. Jon felt as though all his prayers had been answered and life was good. But when he received the news that his childhood best friend, Adam, had committed suicide, his whole world was turned upside down.
Growing up together, Adam and Jon shared a lot of life milestones. So much of Jon’s faith grew in tandem with Adam’s. They shared sweet memories at church camp each summer, and when they were seniors in High School, both decided to attend Corban University in Salem. During their time in college, Adam began doubting his faith and struggling with depression. Jon remained faithful in their friendship, finding ways to support and encourage Adam through the difficult times. So when he found out about Adam’s death, it was devastating.
Jon and his best friend, Adam.
Growing up in the church, Jon remembers the emphasis of prayer being placed heavily on the outcome. Which in his adult life, has led him to question a lot regarding prayer. “What about when prayers don’t get answered? What about when we don’t get the outcome we have asked for? Does prayer even work? What’s the point when it seems like He doesn’t answer our prayers in the way we want?”
We often hear stories where God solves problems and answers prayers. Not that those aren’t perfectly good and praiseworthy… they are! They’re reminders that He is the God of miracles. But those stories can also prompt us to believe that is always how God shows up, or that the most important part is that our problem went away. Which can leave those who don’t have their problems solved or their pain taken away wondering where God is.
The reality is: not everyone prays for a miracle and gets one.
Jon is learning that our love of God cannot be dependent on His problem-solving capabilities. God is not a salve you can take out when you get a scrape, and put back in the cupboard when the problem is solved.
God is God. He is our hope, our refuge, our purpose for living; because he brings peace when we are destitute, faith when our world crumbles, and comfort when there is no one who knows you.
We must be reminded that prayer is not about the result. It's about bringing all of life to Jesus, whether our circumstances change or not. We can have faith in God because He made himself flesh, came down from His Throne in Heaven, and sacrificed Himself for us. He didn’t have to. He wanted to. Trusting Him even when it doesn’t make sense is an act of faith.
Several years ago, Jon had an opportunity to go serve in Greece. He spent most of his time at a camp named Moria, where most of the refugees fleeing from North Africa and the Levant would come through on their voyage to Europe, and hopefully America. He served in this camp for six days. What was supposed to be only a week-long mission trip, became one of the most important works of God in Jon’s life aside from his marriage and his child. Because he saw the true cost of being a Christian, the true face of what the world that is not as fortunate as him confronts every day.
Jon worked in the New Arrivals tent where he would bring different groups of people to wait by the Euro Relief office (the mission’s organization they were partnering with). Nigerian men, single mothers, single men, at risk families. While on the mission trip, Jon witnessed a room filled with people from Nigeria, Algeria, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and Palestine gathered to hear the Word. If anyone in the camp knew about this gathering, they would be beaten to death. When the American pastor and worship team were done with their message, a quartet of Algerian men went to the front and began a hymn they sang in their churches back home. As the chorus grew, the Algerians in the back of the room joined in.
It was at this moment that Jon realized following Christ doesn’t mean life will be easy. For some, like those in Greece, following Christ looks like living in a cramped tent, laying on hot concrete where your meals are rice and beans, and you don’t know if you’ll ever see your home again. It looks like praising God when you don’t starve. For these refugees, these problems and heartbreaks will most likely never go away. These are battles they will face every day. But standing in that room that day, Jon saw that the refugees didn’t equate their problems to mean that God wasn’t with them. They knew He was in the trenches with them; rejoicing when they rejoiced, weeping when they wept.
Jon with the group in Greece. No photos were allowed in the refugee camp.
Jesus didn’t die on the cross so we wouldn’t deal with suffering or inconvenience. He died to save us from sin and death.
That trip was pivotal in Jon’s faith walk and it was a reminder to him that all it takes is faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20) when things are difficult to understand. He was able to reflect on this moment in Greece after Adam died and as he worked through his grief. Even after experiencing the loss of his best friend, Jon knows that when our circumstances don’t make sense, God is working. Even when it feels like God is distant, He is near. Even when our prayers aren’t answered, God is faithful. We must cling to our faith, knowing what the Bible says is true about Him. David reminds us in Psalm 34 that “[He] is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Knowing that things won’t always make sense to us on this side of Heaven, we can remain rooted in our faith, understanding that God is in control and He is working.
Even though Jon knows and believes all the above to be true, he still wrestles with not understanding why Adam died. But like the African refugees, Jon knows that God weeps with those who weep, He suffers with those who suffer, and He desires for us to give Him our burdens. Not that we won’t have to carry the burdens, but we don’t have to carry it alone.
Jon's story helps us as a church family remember that whether we're facing a cancer diagnosis or enjoying a beautiful day in the Gorge--Jesus is Lord over it all and we can trust Him in it all. He brings peace in the worst of situations and sustains us through the storms of life. In the dark nights of unanswered prayer, suffering, and death--we remember Jesus is alive, Jesus has conquered death, and one day He will wipe away every tear from every eye. One day He will make all things new. We can trust Him, we can run to Him, we can serve Him whatever comes our way.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
