“When we fear because our treasures have been stripped away, choose to treasure Jesus anyway.
~based on Matthew 6:19-34”
“Therefore, you should pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Your name be honored as holy.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
[For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.] Matthew 6:9-13 (HCSB)
Several months have passed since a pandemic swept across our world. Has the disease been destroyed? Facts tell us no. Has fear been eradicated? Facts seem to say no. But hopefully you’ve had time to mull over your own worries and fears. Reading Jesus’ words from the sixth chapter of Matthew was a cure for my anxieties. It helped to calm my distress as I put it into practice. I pray my experience will encourage you as we continue together into the near future with uncertainty.
Anxious emotions have materialized out of the social distancing directive. I can’t sleep. We’ve lost a lot of money in the stock market. Do we have enough food and supplies? What if I catch the virus? I sure hope no one in my family gets sick and dies. God, I am so afraid.
My daughter immediately fretted over the delivery of her baby. My sister stressed about her job and began applying for another one. My nephews lost their jobs. My husband and his co-workers received pay cuts. Businesses shut down. Schools and universities shut down and resumed online. While grocery stores remained open, employees and customers exhibited apprehension. Quarantine changed our lives.
The initial fright of this pandemic caught everyone off guard. Panic seemed to escalate, as shock dissipated. Fear of the unknown now seems to multiply daily. Worry continues to prevent sleep. We are simply undone.
And God says, “Do not fear. Don’t worry.”
Is anyone listening? We’re trying desperately to fix our problems, find a cure, figure out a plan to survive instead of first following the instructions of God. We seem to have forgotten that He is God and we are not.
Through the years, people have been busily trying to achieve and receive more stuff all the while complaining of little time to accomplish everything. Priorities have become skewed. Modern norms have eclipsed the traditional family. Desire for possessions have exceeded desire for the One who supplies them. Churches have cruised into assimilation with culture instead of battling to stand firm on God’s truth.
All of a sudden we have time. We have been forced to stop, to social distance, to stay inside, to settle into a new way of life for a while. And it’s tough. Many things of our lives have been stripped away while the beauty of nature has been brought to light.
Daybreaks and twilights display designs of exquisite grandeur. Have you noticed them? Birds express melodious praises with warbles and trills day after day. Have you heard them? Spring has arrived and bounteous blooms of vivid splendor reveal new life. Have you seen them? Even though our human situation has drastically changed, nature presses on. All because Someone greater is in charge.
So Lord, give us this day our daily bread. Reciting this statement within the Lord’s Prayer may have become rote. Believing its truth requires trust. It’s evident from the sounds of chirping that God daily feeds the birds. Have you noticed their praise choruses rising up before dawn? Do we trust God for daily sustenance like the birds? Do we trust Him in the dark?
And Jesus says, “You are worth more than the birds.”
If God takes such good care of the birds, won’t He do the same for us? We are remarkably made, knit together since conception (Psalm 139). And throughout our lives, He offers provision. His Word assures us of His promises. So why worry? God knows what we need.
God desires for us to seek first His righteousness and trust Him for our needs. If we worry about tomorrow instead of simply trusting for today, we create anxiety for ourselves. Daily troubles abound. Why add more to the day?
But do as I say, not as I do because honestly, I’m worried. My pregnant daughter lives in Southern California with her firefighter/paramedic husband. They are due to have their first baby in a few days. The “what ifs” keep welling up inside of us all. This virus has hindered my plans to meet my new grandson and help out my daughter as a new mother. I am mad. I am sad. I am fearful.
And the Holy Spirit says to me, “Debbie, I offer perfect peace. Will you trust Me?”
As Jesus carried our sins to the cross, He also carried our worries. He put an end to fear. He destroyed those things that try to destroy us. He even defeated death. If He is so powerful and mighty over harmful things, why do we choose them over Him?
Are you afraid of this pandemic? Has it created worry about your future? Maybe you’ve lost treasures—a job, a home, money, or even a loved one. Most likely all of your plans have changed. What is your response? Are you worrying about this worldly situation or are you trusting and treasuring the One who controls it all?
When worry begins to creep up within our souls, remember Jesus who gave His life to save us from all that the enemy sends to destroy us. Be still. Have faith. Trust in the power of an Almighty God. Know He is in complete control.
“Whenever I feel my foot slipping, your faithful love steadies me, Lord. When my anxieties multiply, your comforting calms me down.
Psalm 94:18-19”