COVID-19 has plunged much of the world into turmoil. People are fearing for their lives, for their loved ones and for their financial situation. It feels like the 9/11 disaster happening over a 30-day period. The world is not going to be the same for a while. How does a follower of Jesus walk through this?
Perhaps it would be good to begin with prayer. If we haven’t been keeping our focus on God then this is a good time to recommit to that. Let’s turn to God first and talk with him. Let this time lead you to more dependence on, and interaction with, God.
And let our prayers be from the heart. In other words, let’s express what we are really feeling, not what we would express if we were already perfectly Christformed. The Psalms are a great guide to honestly pouring out our heart to God so it is helpful to browse through the Psalms and find one or two that match our thoughts and feelings. Let’s get in the habit of expressing our fears, our pain, our dependence and our weaknesses to God.
Some teach that we should only express rejoicing and thanksgiving to God because that is an act of faith. Unfortunately, this is bad teaching and doesn’t fit with Scripture.
Some teach that we should only express rejoicing and thanksgiving to God because that is an act of faith. Unfortunately, this is bad teaching and doesn’t fit with Scripture. These teachers take some verses from Scripture and absolutize them to the exclusion of the whole counsel of Scripture. For example, Jesus said that those who mourn are blessed. Also, as I just mentioned, we have the Psalms as the “prayerbook of the Church”. Moreover, our hearts can embrace thanksgiving and pain at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive. So we can express both to God because he wants us to expose our hearts to him so we can deepen our union with him. This is how it works in human friendships and this is how it works with God.
Philippians 4:6-7 instructs us:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV).
If we present our requests for our soul to God in faith he will give comfort. We have his words to comfort us always. We can tell him our distress and fears and ask for encouragement. We refuse to embrace anxiety, and even though some unwanted anxiety remains we can keep our focus on God’s peace. His peace is peace that is rooted deep inside us where his Spirit dwells. As we learn to live from that peace our hearts and minds will be safe and we can be a light and encouragement to others.
