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| What, me worry? Well, yes. |
Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
-Psalm 31:19
I woke up Monday morning concerned. About a million things, I guess. Most of them surround the advancing Corona Virus. Maybe all of them….
• Certainly, I am concerned for those who are most at risk. This morning I spent time simply praying for their protection. I have friends who have suffered some close losses. My heart aches for those who have experienced such. It’s easy to dismiss distant places like China because, if for no other reason, my thinking/concern/awareness rarely goes beyond our own borders. It is shortsighted I know, but my mind can only fathom so much. But I do know that people are hurting there and around the globe.
• Speaking of at-risk people, technically I am one of them. I am, as much as I don’t like to admit it, 63 years old, and have an underlying condition of asthma – although it has been under great control over the past 12 months. But all my praying has been for the situation and for other people. I have always found it hard to pray for myself.
• I am concerned about how the church in general and the church I pastor should react. Or not react. I am reminded that the church is the representative of the One true beacon of hope the world has, and that is Jesus. How will our witness be? Will His love for our neighbors/nation/world be visible in our action? We’ll take appropriate cautions, but may we do so remembering who is ultimately in control.
• On a bit of a selfish note, I am concerned about my study leave that is scheduled to take place after Easter. I don’t want it canceled, and I’m not afraid to fly. I need the time away to study, pray, consider, and relax.
• The sense of panic that some areas in our nation is experiencing, concerns me. How much toilet paper does one need? And…should I be checking our supply at home? I have not, and I assume we have plenty. At least Susie says we do – I asked her😊. I am reminded that “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). I don’t want fear to steal my joy I have in Christ and the life he has given me.
• My concern these days flows in and out of multiple areas. They change from moment to moment, but for a short while they almost seemed overwhelming.
So after praying a bit at the YMCA as I was on the treadmill, I got back home and did what I tend to do when concerning times consume. Look into God’s word. And this passage really jumped out at me.
"Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!"
When I worry I understand that I am not trusting God. Tim Keller once wrote, "Worry is not believing God will get it right, and bitterness is believing God got it wrong."
The passage from Psalm 31 is an assurance, one of a few I read that morning, is that God got it right, is getting it right, and will get it right. And as Jesus once said, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Those words are scolding. Instead, I heard him say, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Yeah, I’ll probably still worry somewhat, but I will trust in the abundance of His goodness, and still take sensible precautions. But I do know God will get it right.
Prayer points to ponder.
• For those who are at risk and those being directly affected by illness now. Prayers for healing and the peace that passes all understanding. Included are prayers for those who may be economically hurt during this time.
• Prayers for those who treating the ill. May God bless them in wondrous ways as they experience the front line of danger first-hand.
• Pray for those who are working to create cures and vaccines. Pray for their wisdom and knowledge. Pray gratefully for what wisdom and knowledge they have, but also pray that God will grant them wisdom and knowledge beyond their own. May they tap into the strength of the Great Healer.
• Prayer for our leaders. This is not a time for politics, but a time for unity and educated action. Let’s pray for them all, for none of them are in envious positions at the moment.
• Pray for the church. How we react and serve will directly reflect on our witness. A friend, James Kim, put it succinctly in his blog yesterday:
“The question facing us is “How can the church be the church in such a time as this?” In order to answer that question, you have to ask, “What is the church called to do? ”
And the good news is that the answer is still the same:
Make disciples
Grow disciples
Share the love of Jesus with all people”
I’ll provide a link to his blog below
God will get it right. And may we slow down a bit and revel in His abundant goodness.
Link to James Kim's blog: CLICK HERE
