Question: We’re a couple of weeks into the Coronavirus pandemic, without much sign of this “new normal” letting up for a while. Can you give me spiritual advice for this long-haul journey?
Answer: I am writing this to myself as much as I’m writing it to you. It’s understandable we may be anxious or uncertain about our futures in times like these. Fact is, most of us have never been through times like these. I can’t remember a time in my life when the basic fundamentals: health, finances, and human interaction were simultaneously held by such a brittle thread.
It’s easy to panic right now; every day, sometimes every hour, the news grows worse. But, let’s take a collective breath and remember who gave us breath. We serve a God who is bigger than the sum of our fears. He is the architect of Good News, and the only one who can save us. He is the giver of life and the source of hope; his grace is boundless and his love is without limitation.
As we struggle not to drift into fear, as we feel ourselves being pulled into the gathering shadows, God is with us. He is our strength in times like these, and our light in the darkness.
Apart from him there is no light, and “hope” is a word without meaning. Government, political division, and broken promises will not serve as balm to our weary minds, our troubled spirits, or our failing bodies. It’s Christ alone who is here to give us breath, strength, and provision. He alone is trustworthy.
If we still ourselves long enough, he is here to quietly remind us of countless rescues, and of times we have been pulled from harm. God’s record of deliverance is spotless, his promises remain unbroken, and his rescues always seem to come just in the nick of time.
So, I encourage you (and myself) to model his grace to all those we encounter, and to remember who he is; and in doing so, remember who he has created us to be. We are already saved; we are full of his Holy Spirit. What could possible be better than that, in times like these?
Mark McCormick is director of clinic operations for Illinois Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services.