Helpless And Hopeful

"Lord, God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in your hand, and no one can stand against you...
If disaster comes upon us- sword or judgment, pestilence or famine- we will stand before this temple and before you, for your name is in this temple. We will cry out to you because of our distress, and you will hear and deliver."
                                                          2 Chronicles 20:6;9




This past week has been unimaginable to me as I have watched the events play out at an almost breakneck speed. While I had not even heard about Covid-19 at the end of 2019, it now seems as if it popped up out of nowhere and started knocking on our front door. Having a husband who is working on the front lines as a physician also makes this almost a surreal experience. Except that it is not a scene out of a sci-fi show. It is real and it is menacing in so many ways to so many around the globe.

When you listen to the daily press conferences that President Trump has done, you can hear the frenzied questions posed by the reporters and the anxiety that is felt is almost palpable. We have also witnessed news stories where people are fighting over items in the stores and where grocery shelves are emptied out. To walk into a Sam's or a Costco and see no toilet paper or paper towels, as well as many empty shelves, is such a weird thing and definitely not anything I have ever witnessed in my lifetime. Many people around the globe are panicked because they are experiencing uncertainties that they have never before experienced.

Certainly this is how King Jehosaphat must have felt when he learned that Judah was suddenly surrounded by many hostile enemies. The armies that had come against their nation were far more than Judah could defeat in their own strength, and yet, Jehosaphat knew just what to do. He knew that their nation needed to seek God for His help and deliverance and that God is more than able to do what they, themselves, could not do.

Jehosaphat called for his nation to fast and pray and to seek God's face. He prayed, "For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor did we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You" (2 Chronicles 20:12). Jehosaphat recognized their helplessness in this situation, but he also knew from previous experience, when God extended his life, where to turn for help.

When I think and pray about what is happening in the earth right now, it occurs to me that God has given the world a global timeout. Think about the purpose in mind when you give your three year old a timeout. You give them a timeout either because they have blatantly disobeyed things that you have told them to do or because they are being selfish or have skewed priorities that you are trying to rectify. As a parent, it is the most loving thing to call for a timeout to give them a few moments to reconsider what they are doing (or not doing) for their greater good.

Please don't misunderstand this. I am not saying that God caused Covid-19. What I am saying is that He has allowed a global timeout for us to reconsider our ways. And in the midst of all these uncertainties, He is calling us back to Himself and to the things that He has called us to do. He is trying to get the world's attention to show us that there are more important things at hand that need to be considered.

In fact, God loves us so much that He will allow us the time to look at our lives and our priorities to really decide what the important things are. Could this be why at this moment in our country that shopping, eating out, March madness, hockey, baseball, schools, bars, movie theaters, plays, broadway shows, and even churches are being cancelled? It is as if everything has been stripped from us in an instant and we are being told to even be socially distant from one another. Is that not how a timeout works?

What we do at this moment in history is extremely important. Back to the three year old analogy. If we humble ourselves, repent for our personal sins and the sins of this nation, and seek God's face, we will be the better for what we are experiencing. If, however, we merely wait for this to abate and return to life as it previously was, I would submit to you that things will become even more difficult for us. We only ignore the warnings of God at our own peril.

In the Old Testament, when God disciplined Jacob for lying, deceiving, and a lack of character, Jacob responded by turning to God and humbling himself. He ultimately learned how to depend more and more upon God. By the time Jacob was on his deathbed, he was worshipping God and blessing his children and grandchildren. Prayer and worship became Jacob's priorities after most of his life had been spent manipulating others to get his own way.

It occurs to me today that we have been so blessed in this nation for so long that we are not even  familiar with many of the trials and hardships that other nations have to face on a daily basis. I have to admit that for as long as I've gone to the grocery, I have never really considered how those shelves have stayed fully stocked for all these years. I honestly never really stopped to thank God for all the hands that have worked to even make that possible for us.

It is beginning to dawn on me just how many blessings that I have taken for granted in my life. By the time this Covid-19 chapter is behind us as a nation, it is my prayer that we will emerge as a people that is more prayerful. More obedient to God. More grateful. More worshipful. More dependent upon God. More repentant. And more powerful in Christ.

It is also my prayer that we will realize how helpless we are and how powerful God really is. He can stop this Covid-19 with a single word. He can heal every person that is infected right now and in the future. He can instantaneously give us a cure or a vaccine, or both. He is more powerful than we give Him credit for and more loving than we can even imagine.

Our world is getting darker just like the Bible prophesied that it would. All of these things that we are seeing is a preview of things that will happen in the world during the Tribulation. While the church is still here on the earth, it is time for us to rise up and shine brighter than ever before. Daniel said, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever" (Daniel 12:3).

Today, let us recognize our limitations as people, as well as the power of our God. If we believe that our time on this earth is short and that the return of Christ is imminent, let us minister to and love others with the passion and fervor of a church on fire. As followers of Christ, let us understand with clarity what our purpose really is and find ways to strengthen and encourage others to do the same. We have peace and hope within us and it is now imperative that we share that with as many other people as we can!

                       Blessings To Each One Of You And Your Families!!!

P.S. I would like to thank President Trump and Governor Bill Lee for calling for Prayer for our nation. These men exemplify the truth of what needs to be happening in our country right now.
I also want to thank V.P. Mike Pence and Ben Carson for their godly example to us right now too.