Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Dear friends,
We are still in the wilderness, and the struggles and fears have heightened as the Covid-19 (coronavirus) become more popular in the media, and crawl closer to home. This is the most fear most of us have ever experienced. The truth is we are terrified of things we cannot control. The fear of the unknown is nerve-racking. Fearing the unknown can cause us to live on pins and needles as we spend precious energy anticipating the worst-case scenario. Some of us are selling our stocks and bonds, staying locked away into our homes, and stocking up on toilet paper and hand sanitizers.
The Lord understands our fears of the unknown. God realizes that you may be in a situation that you've never passed through before, and you're afraid. Most of us have experienced the fear of being without employment. We have experienced the fear of being diagnosed with an illness or our child failing in school. However, this is different. We’ve never been down this road before, and we don't know which way to go or what to do. If we should be honest, its the same kind of fear one would feel in a wilderness. But fear NOT my friends! God will guide the way.
Amid our fears and anxieties, we need to remember God’s promise from Isaiah 41: “Do not be dismayed, fearful or anxious, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10). It’s important that we look to God during this crisis and not to our circumstances and understanding.
Here are some other verses that I cling to in times of fear:
Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 118:6: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”
Psalm 37:8: “Do not fret—it only causes harm.”
Having given our fears to God in prayer and submission, let us take precautions: wash your hands frequently, and don't touch your precious faces. ( I know this might be hard for some of us :-). Use hand sanitizer when soap and water aren't available.
Prayer: Loving God, our protector and our caretaker, we are grateful that you are with us on this wilderness journey even in our fears and all the trials we face. Guide our path and comfort us this day. Help us to see you at work amid all the chaos, fears and anxieties. Bring healing to those who are sick and resources to those who lack. Amen.
Whatever it takes,
Rev. Ontonio Christie
