At A Time Like This

Just a mere three weeks ago, we were all living an incredibly different day than we are today.  Just three weeks ago, our kids were starting their spring break, and we may have been kicking off our vacations from a fabulous destination or from our own beds as we slept late.  Some of us were not on break, so we were rising to go to work to face another week of the hustle and bustle.  We were probably all perfectly confident in our toilet paper supply, and we saw no reason to stop by every store to be sure our stash of rice and dog food were up to par.  Here we are today, though, living a much different life in a much different world with no clue what tomorrow or the next day will bring.  If we’re not extraordinarily careful, we might let that completely overtake us.

I’m not one that freaks out easily.  I tend to be pretty even-keel and don’t let a lot of things bog me down.  I don’t tend to get anxious or worry too much about things, and I know that God provides peace to me in the midst of the storms in my life.  I cast all my anxieties on Him because He cares for me, and I remind myself that anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.  

Just to clarify, the previous paragraph is what I try to convince myself of every time I feel the pressure build up in my chest, my stomach begin to churn, my heart begin to race, and my teeth clench and grind until my head is pounding.  Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome*.  Anxiety has a physiological response, even if your brain has not yet decided that yes, you are anxious.  So many times I have felt fine in my head before a certain meeting or appointment, but then my body tells me, “Ha!  You only THINK you’ve got it all together.  I’ll show you!”  My body throws my mind into restlessness in an instant.  The current pandemic has done nothing to quell this so far.

Today, on this March day of 2020, so many of us are grappling with anxiety because we have lost our sense of security.  We don’t know what will become of this virus, will we contract it, when will we contract it, how will it affect us, will we spread it to anyone that can’t handle it, have we already spread it?  What about our kids?  Can we protect them from it, will they ever go back to school, who will watch our kids while we have to work, will they know how to cope with all of this, will we even be able to provide their every need in the days ahead?  What about the economy?  Will this cripple everything we’ve worked for, will we ever recover, will we lose our jobs, will we be able to find work, will we be able to feed our families, or will we even be able to find the food to feed them?  If we are health care workers:  how do we stop this, how quickly can we stop this, when will we find rest, can we keep ourselves from contracting this, can we keep from spreading this to our families, when can we hug our kids/spouse again, is this the new normal, will we have enough supplies, how will we turn people away from the simplest of life-saving measures if it comes to that?  

What do we do and where do we turn if the security we have so easily taken for granted is completely upended?

I am a World War II buff.  I have always been fascinated by this time in history, and so many lessons have come from the events that occurred during those tumultuous years.  Infinite heartache occurred, and every time I read a new piece of literature centered around this time I am amazed at the people that endured when earthly securities were shaken.  I always think about how I would be shriveled up in a ball in the corner because I would lack the courage to make sound and strong decisions or to deal with any of it.  I sort of feel like that now.  I’ve covered my face and taken solace in social media memes like the lot of us because laughter really is the best medicine.  (The COVID 19 meme game has been strong, too, am I right?)  I like to push real thoughts of worry and trepidation to the very back of my mind so I don’t have to deal with them, but there goes that pesky physiological response to anxiety that brings it all back again.  The truth is, it’s ok to be anxious.  Our bodies are naturally inclined to have an anxious response.  It’s what we do with that anxiety that matters. 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6,7 ESV

I think this whole thing, this COVID 19 thing, is a way that God is showing us that maybe our securities aren’t really where we say they are.  We have convinced ourselves that our security is in God and His provision when in all actuality we have never had to fall through all of the other securities in our lives to rest on only His.  Now, in the midst of this chaos and uncertainty, God is whispering in our ear that He is the only safety net that will hold.  He is the only one that will catch us if we fall.  

God uses whatever circumstance, even anxiety or a global pandemic, to draw us into His loving arms.  When we submit to His security and enter a personal relationship with Him, He leads us every step of the way.  It’s not about knowing that we will make it past our worst fears or knowing that we will make it through tomorrow, it’s the confidence that comes from a security that will be there with us every step of the way.  We can rely on Him for our every single need, and He will be there to catch us and take our anxieties.  He will sustain us always.  The storm will continue, and the physiological response remains, so we must be continually casting our anxieties onto Him.  It is such a simple thing to do that it doesn’t quite seem enough, but once you cast it over to Him, oh what a weight that is lifted!   

God does not wish anxiety upon us, and He certainly doesn’t want us to suffer if our physiological symptoms are so severe that only medical intervention will keep them at bay.  He does, however, want us to turn to Him as our utmost security.  He is more than able!  Take time to list the blessings in your life, even at a time like this, and bring your thankfulness to the Lord.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6,7 ESV

Dear God, thank you for how you love us.  Thank you for the security you provide for our every waking moment.  I pray that this time in history will shift our focus back to you and will realign our security from anything within our own control back to you who are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or even think.  Calm our anxieties, and take our fears away.  Please surround us with your peace and your direction so that we may take this time to help others and spread your gospel.  In your precious name, Amen.

*New Oxford American Dictionary