In These Times

I received a call a couple of days ago from a young woman who was confused and afraid. She had accepted Christ at our church many years ago and hadn’t been living right. She wanted to be, in her words, “saved again”. I talked with her for a while and heard the genuine hunger for God that she was experiencing in these troubled times.

Just the day before that call, my husband and I had returned from our family ski vacation in Keystone, Colorado. From the time we left home on the tenth of March to the time we returned on the nineteenth our nation went through unprecedented change. Drastic action had to be taken because Coronavirus had hit our coasts and was spreading fast.

Huge sporting events were canceled, then ski slopes, restaurants, churches, gatherings of 250 or more, then 50, then 10!!! What in the world? To add to that, toilet paper was being hoarded! I was baffled by that. Toilet paper? Why not fruit and vegetables? Meat and dairy products?

A few days later I discovered all of those were in short supply as well. At least in the very crowded grocery store in Dillon, Colorado, where I went for three days straight. Restaurants were closed and we had ten other family members vacationing with us. I felt responsible for making sure there was enough food for all of us.

Looking back, I realize how stupid that was of me. There had been confirmed cases of Covid 19 in Keystone. Sick tourists that had been present all over town. But I, like most people, was still pretty ignorant of how quickly and easily this virus could spread. I was out and about every day; in crowded restaurants, crowded shops, a crowded gondola, crowded elevators, and a crowded grocery store.

We were informed that both Colorado and Kansas were advising anyone leaving Summit County to voluntarily quarantine themselves when they returned home. Then our county in Missouri made the same recommendation.

So here we are. Quarantined in our home. On the tenth of this month could we have ever in our wildest imagination have predicted this? This is not a hardship for us. We have plenty of food and enough toilet paper (for now). We have each other and lots of friends and family that can deliver more food if necessary. But not everyone fares so well.

Back to the young lady that called me. She was deeply troubled by what is happening. And she had a reawakening of her need for God. We talked about her relationship with God and the comfort that God’s Word can give us. At that point she let me know she didn’t have a Bible.

I told her that since I’m quarantined, the best I could do was drive into town and hand her a Bible through my cracked window. She agreed, met me at the designated spot with protective gloves on and received the tiny Bible through the 2-inch crack. Again, could I have imagined such a scenario just two weeks ago? No.

But…here I am. And here you are too. We’re all in this together. How are we, God’s children to act in these times? I’m sure you have many thoughts about this, as do I. But for me at this moment, three things stand out.

Number one: Don’t be afraid. This is not a surprise to God. For whatever reason, He has allowed this. Not caused it! Allowed it. He is powerfully at work behind the scenes doing good and necessary things that we are often blind to.

Number two: Pray! Even though God allowed this virus He still wants us to pray for it to be lifted. He also wants us to pray for those who have been ignoring Him, to sit up and acknowledge His Lordship.

Number three: Help! Be a willing servant to anyone and everyone that God puts in your path during this time, even if (and especially if) it’s just the people in your house.

“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)

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (Peter 5:7)

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7)