We began this month with a look at light in creation in both Genesis and the Gospel of John. Creation began as God spoke light into being and separated it from darkness. Christ, the Word, was with God from the beginning. Creation was accomplished through Christ, and in Christ is life that is the light of men (John 1:3-4). And while the light of Christ will one day obliterate the night and illuminate heaven for eternity (Revelation 21:22-24), today that Light shines in the darkness.

We then looked at the life-giving nature of light. Both biologically and spiritually, life begins with and is sustained by light. “The Lord is our life-giving light – our Creator, our Provider, and our Sustainer from whom all life flows. When our energy wanes, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, we can turn to God, our light source and life source, for healing and nourishment, for knowledge and wisdom.”

Ali wrote about how Christ’s light illuminates us.  He’s the true light, our source of light. And His light within us makes us as lanterns and the Church as a lit city on an otherwise dark hillside. She said, “Jesus’ light will never stop. He will always be the true light of life. Because God is light, and in Him is no darkness. And when He puts His light in me, my little candle can shine brightly in my dark little corner, bringing glory to the Father.”

Kristee then shared in her post Though I Sit in Darkness  about truth that pierces with hope into our darkest moments. “Though I sat in the darkness, believing the lies about hopelessness, the Lord would be my light. I prayed and the Spirit gently showed me the truth. My darkness became light again. The Lord shows what is true. He is our hope. He is our light.”

Writing about the grief of losing her father in a post titled When the Darkness Deepens, Sabrina reminded us that the Holy Spirit is always near. “This we can depend upon: even in our darkest night, Jehovah Shammah, “The Lord is There,” is with us. He sees us. He sees the darkness, and He has overcome it (John 16:33). Jesus is, in fact, the Light of the World and shines His light into all our darkness—our sin, our pain, our unbelief—and it is not dark to Him, but bright as day. Even in our Sheol-like moments, He is there holding onto us and waiting to lead us on.”

And on Tuesday, guest author Bethany Williams wrote on the marvelous, merciful light of God as Peter described in 1 Peter 2:9.  “I began praying for my children last year: ‘Please, Lord, keep them in your Light.’ With the many darknesses our whole world has experienced in recent years, with so many darknesses within the culture around them, with the humility that I do not know all the days in their futures, I’ve begun to pray with imagery of God’s light surrounding my children. I pray they can always see Jesus in the dark.”

What a beautiful image to hold in prayer for our children.

The People Who Walked in Darkness Have Seen a Great Light

As we wrap up this end-of-winter month of reflections on light, I am reminded of something I read a few years ago. I wish I could recall where. While we may not know the exact day of Christ’s birth, and there may be historical and cultural factors that played into the designation of December 25th as Christmas, there is also beautiful providence in the fact that, in the northern hemisphere, our celebration of the Incarnation falls just after the very darkest day of the year. This winter, December 21st is the longest night of the year. Then Christmas dawns just as the light begins to advance again on the dark, slowly and steadily exchanging minutes of night for minutes of light until spring breaks through. On December 25th, there is no evidence of spring. The hardest, longest freezes and winter storms may yet be ahead. But already the forces have come into play that assuredly bring spring.

There is such beauty and comfort in the arrival of light. Centuries before the birth of Christ, the Son of God, here with us, the prophet Isaiah wrote:

“The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shone.
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
(Isaiah 9:2,6)

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“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” (Psalm 90:1, ESV)

The introduction to Psalm 90 records that this is “Of Moses the Man of God.” My daughter and I have used a scripture memory song for this Psalm in our homeschool for years, yet I have never stopped to think about the metaphor right there in the first verse.  

The Lord is our dwelling place. What does that mean? He’s the house (or tent in Moses’s case)? Or He’s our safe place?

A quick Google search revealed that a “dwelling place” is the place where someone lives. We can’t know exactly when in his life Moses wrote this Psalm, but in my opinion, it makes sense for it to be written during those forty wandering years in the wilderness. The poignant cry that the Lord is our dwelling place seems to come from people who have no literal, permanent home.

A Look Back

What might those desert-trotting Israelites have felt when they sang Moses’s new Psalm? As we probably learned in Sunday School, they had no home. They were wanderers, nomads, transient refugees. Having the Lord as their dwelling place gave them an identity.

In an everyday sense, a dwelling place for them would have been the literal tents they were dwelling in. How is the Lord like a tent? He offered them safety, peace, and rest.  Having the Lord as their dwelling gave them security. 

But a tent was only safety and security so long as they chose to go into it. They were welcome to sleep outside that protection if they liked. They had to be the ones to make the choice to go into the tent–the Lord as their dwelling place–and participate in the things that came with that relationship with Him. Having the Lord as their dwelling gave them responsibility.

A Look at Us

Actually, the same points apply to us.  When we choose to make the Lord our dwelling place, He becomes those things for us as well. And honestly, I wept when I found this verse as I looked for a metaphor to write about.  I needed it. I was cramming a writing session in between hard, hard things in our family.

I need Him to be my identity, my permanency–not being a wife, a mother, a homeschooler. Those things shouldn’t be the biggest part of who I am. He should. 

I need Him to be my security. My trust, my faith, my hope should all stem from the rock-solid dwelling place that is the Lord. When I re-enter that metaphorical tent, I should come out trusting only Him for finances, children’s futures, medical issues. 

In Matthew 7, Jesus compares people who don’t fully trust His words with a foolish man who built his house on sand. (Although, technically, that’s a simile. Jesus used the word “like.” “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man…” Matthew 7:26, ESV) Why wouldn’t I trust Him and build on the rock?

But having Him as your dwelling place does require responsibility. We have to choose to go to Him with our troubles. We have to actively talk to Him about our day in order for Him to become our identity and security. For me, this means setting alarms to remember to pray throughout the day and carving out time in my morning and evening routines to dwell with Him.

A Word about the Generations

The second part of the verse says the Lord had been their dwelling place “in all generations.” What were the Isrealites reflecting on in that part of the song? 

Abraham, who left his literal dwelling place in Ur to follow where God would tell him to go. He was led to a new dwelling place with God.

Jacob, who fled his literal dwelling place to live for years in another land. He discovered a new dwelling place with God.

Joseph, sold away from his literal dwelling place into slavery in Egypt. He found a new dwelling place with God.

And the same is true for us. I can see in my own family how our different generations have made Him their dwellings: when my great-grandparents trusted him during the Great Depression when my grandmother sought peace and strength from Him after her husband left her, and when my parents made Him their dwelling in seeking hope through daily prayer and Bible study. 

I pray my children will look back on what has been a hard season for our family and realize I made God my dwelling place through trusting Him in the storms of life.

Dwell in Him. Make Him your peace and security. Fulfill your role in being another generation that dwelled in Him.

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Then everything shut down.

Rehearsals were cancelled. Shows postponed. We held our breath waiting for normal to return. I cried with my children over our broken dreams. We prayed and talked about God and how He is good. About how he brings good from the bad and beauty from ashes. How He is our rock, the anchor holding us fast through the storms of life. Things started to open up again. We made some plans. Then everything shut down again and our dreams were dashed a second time. 

Now Joseph had a dream…

Joseph was the 11th and favorite son of Jacob (whom God named Israel). Genesis 37 tells us that Joseph tattled on his brothers and that his father gave him a robe of many colors, a very costly gift. Neither even endeared Joseph to his older brothers. In fact, verse 4 says, “they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him.” 

In this context, Joseph has his first dream. 

“Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, ‘Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.’ His brothers said to him, ‘Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?’ So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.” (Genesis 37:5-8)

I can’t help but notice, Joseph shares his dream, but it is his brothers who do the interpreting. 

The Bible doesn’t tell us at this point if Joseph knows what his dream is about, but it’s not hard to imagine what a 17 year old shepherd might expect his life to look like. His family is wealthy, and though by birth order he is next to last, perhaps he will take his father’s place as head of the family some day. Not a bad future to look forward to. 

His brothers had a different idea. They threw him in a pit and sold him into slavery. What was going through that young boy’s mind as he made the long journey from his home to Egypt? Did he watch his dreams fade away with the landscape and grieve over what would have been? Could he hope in the future he’d been promised when his present looked so bleak? 

Interpretations Belong to God

In chapter 39, the Bible picks up Joseph’s story again. He is a slave in the household of Potiphar, an important government official, and he is doing very well. 

“The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.” (Genesis 39:2)

A few years have gone by and the young shepherd enjoys the trust and favor of his boss. Here we get a glimpse of Joseph growing in maturity as a man of integrity and faith.  The lady of the house tempts him, but Joseph resists, both out of respect for the man who has been kind to him and honoring the God of his people. Potiphar’s wife accuses him and he is thrown in prison, but again, God is with him.

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (v. 21)

After a time, two of Pharaoh’s officials are thrown into prison with Joseph and each have troubling dreams. 

At this point in his life, Joseph could not be further from the dreams he had as a boy. There might have been a chance to return home, as a successful, favored servant of an important government official. But not now. Not from prison. But Joseph is not bitter or broken. He recognizes God as the author and interpreter of dreams. “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” (Genesis 40:8)

He has learned that though his own dreams have not yet come to fruition, God has never left him. 

Joseph remembers the dream

Years pass. Joseph is eventually remembered by the cupbearer, and is given an opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, which is a warning of the famine coming to the land. Pharaoh elevates him to governor and gives him a wife because he sees that Joseph is filled with the Spirit of God (Genesis 41:37).  Joseph sets to work again, storing up grain, planning for the future. He gives his two sons Hebrew names, showing that he has not forgotten God or his people. 

The famine reaches Canaan and Joseph’s brothers travel to Egypt to buy grain. As they kneel before the great leader, second only to Pharaoh, unrecognizable from the brother they sold into slavery so many years ago, Joseph remembers his dream (Genesis 42:9). 

I doubt very much that 17 year old Joseph knew all along that he was going to rise to power in Egypt. There must have been moments along the way where he wondered what it was all about it. But over the course of his life, the many ups and downs, from the pit in Canaan to the palace in Egypt, Joseph learned to trust in God, not the dream. 

God’s Good Purpose

“But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today’.” Genesis 50:19-20

Summer is in full swing but fall is quickly approaching. Our community is opening slowly, and like Joseph, we are looking forward with hope. Not in the dreams God has placed on our hearts, but in God himself, who never leaves us.  

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

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A few years ago I was listening to a friend of mine give a sermon on the topic of hope. I was sitting in the cry room with a toddler messing about at my feet and an active infant in my lap. My preschooler was in the sanctuary with my husband, but he had spotted me through the cry room window and was clearly negotiating to join me there. Given the chaos around me, I will admit I now recall few details of that sermon. But one moment stands out. While straining to listen over the babbling of the children literally crawling over me, I heard my friend Brandon pause and ask directly, “What do you hope in?” No joke, clear as a bell something in me responded, “Bedtime. My hope is in bedtime.”

True Hope

I chuckled, outloud, because it was somewhat true. I would find myself multiple times a day with frayed nerves thinking, “It’s all going to be okay. In a few hours, they will go to bed, and I will be okay.” I was in the thick of the “short years / long days” season, and though I actually missed the kids when they were sleeping soundly, I also desperately needed the quiet time to collect myself. And yet, on the way home from Church that morning, I knew there was more to it than an introvert’s need for a few minutes of silence.

“When all feels chaotic, when I am afraid that I am failing them at every turn, when I am not sure how to comfort three of them at once,” I asked myself, “is my hope in bedtime? Or am I resting right then in the blessed assurance that the God of the Universe is right here with me? He knows exactly what is needed.” Am I missing the opportunity to be securely anchored by a true hope?

Grounded

Am I white-knuckled clinging to my to-do list? Or am I looking to the Holy Spirit for in-the-moment guidance? Am I holding my breath until the circumstances change? Or am I abiding in the life-giving breath of God, Who calms the storms and stills the winds? This summer, is my sense of hope tied to my confidence in our leaders, to graphs of reported data, or to the One who reigns forever? 

As people, our hope can easily become tied to the ever-changing circumstances around us. But as Believers, our hope is rightly grounded in Who God is. It flourishes when we focus our hearts on Him. He is good, righteous, sovereign, and faithful. Our hope rests in the knowledge that He is making all things new. He is making us into the likeness of Christ and reconciling us to one another in the Spirit.

Anchored, Firm and Secure

The author of Hebrews tells us that we may be encouraged because, “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19a, NIV). We have this anchor of hope, he says, because Christ entered behind the temple curtain into the Most Holy Place ushering those washed in His blood into the presence of God (Hebrews 6:19-20, Hebrews 9:1-14, Matthew 27:50-51). That’s the game-changer. His blood and righteousness mean I have access to the throne of God. That’s hope.

Do you know how an anchor works? An anchor is substantial, heavy and solid, sinking into the seabed. It becomes even more effective when resistance is applied. When a force pulls against the anchor, it is designed to dig deeper, becoming more secure. Thus grounded, an anchor protects a boat from drifting away or from crashing into nearby rocks.

Friends, I may have read more news in the past five months than I did in the previous decade. And it certainly is prudent to know what’s happening around us. Let’s check our anchor, though. Where is our hope? I love this sentence from a boating article titled “How to Anchor Securely:” “We know of no way to ensure that your anchor will hold other than by pulling on it hard.” Pull hard, and be assured. Hope anchored in Christ holds true. Join us in a month-long blog series as we explore what it means to be Anchored by Hope.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

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“Why should I feel discouraged? 

Why should the shadows come?”

I’m not even talking about personal troubles. I am often overwhelmed by the state of our world, the rampant injustice and the capability we have for cruelty. 

“Why does my heart feel lonely and long for heaven and home?”

This sweet, simple song has often given a perfect voice to my heart’s cry! 

His Eye Is On the Sparrow has been sung at many of my big life milestones, from graduations to funerals. Yet it always serves to remind me that God is there, caring for me in the small moments of life as well. 

A Simple Story

His Eye is On the Sparrow was penned in 1905 by Civilla D. Martin, with music composed by Charles H. Gabriel, one of several collaborations between them. 

Martin occasionally travelled with her  Baptist minister husband, Walter, which was how they encountered the Doolittles, a couple whom they described as “true saints”. Mr. Doolittle was in a wheelchair and Mrs. Doolittle was bedridden, yet their life was full of joy, kindness, and peace. Enough to make the Martins wonder. 

When asked how she could live in such terrible circumstances with so much hope, she answered, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

A Simple Illustration

Jesus used the little birds to illustrate the vastness of God’s love, provision, and attention to the smallest details of our lives. 

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.” Luke 12:6

Over and over throughout Scripture, God is painted as the caregiver of creation (Job 38:41). The Perfect Provider (Psalm 104:11). The Satisfaction our souls long for (Psalm 145:6).  

The Simple Truth

When storms rage in our backyard, my tenderhearted son asks me, “What about the birds?” I comfort him with the reminder, “Who takes care of the birds?”

• God, who is love.
• God, who is good.
• God, who cares what happens to the sparrows. 

When storms rage in my heart, I can rest knowing that the God who cares about the sparrows, cares even more for me. 

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

“When Jesus is my portion

A constant friend is he

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know he watches me”

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This year has been quite tumultuous for most people. We’ve been confronted with a huge amount of suffering, fear, loss, insecurity, injustice, anger, and heartache in the last several months. When things seem to improve a little, another wave comes along. It can feel like almost minute to minute, the ground shifts from under our feet.

It’s easy to see it all and wonder, “What security do I really have? Where do I stand?” 

There’s a hymn that reminds me that no matter how the sands of the world shift, I stand on the Rock.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand. 

A Wise Builder

Edward Mote penned those words in his hymn, ”My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less,” well over 100 years ago. His words serve as a beautiful illustration of Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders (Luke 6:46-49). 

A foolish builder might approach the water’s edge and think the close proximity to life-giving water is good enough. But sadly, that puts a foolish builder on the unstable, sandy shore. When the rains come, his house floods, sands shift, and the house collapses. The foolish builder in the parable represents someone who appears to come to Jesus but never does what He commands.

Mote’s words emphasize Jesus’ teachings that a wise builder hopes in and follows Jesus. As saved Christians, we’ve all chosen the solid Rock. Digging deep into the high Rock of Jesus gives us stability! Through the constant, steady nature of God, we can find hope when our world shifts. All of God’s promises are true, His commands are good, and His ways are best. Always!

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)

It is only through Christ that we will ever find true healing, stability, peace, and hope. Jesus alone offers us security. This security dwells within a Believer’s heart now, and will come to complete fruition in eternity.

How Did Mote Know?

Edward Mote grew up as a non-Believer. Because his parents were busy managing a pub, he entertained himself by playing in the streets of London. He is reported to have said,

“So ignorant was I that I did not know that there was a God.”

But by the grace of God, Mote heard a sermon preached and gave his life to Jesus. He even entered the ministry in his 50’s and served for almost 30  years, in addition to writing 100’s of hymns.

Yes, he personally knew what it was like to live a life without the hope of Christ. And I’m sure he saw many people turn to “sandy soil” rather than digging deep and settling on the Solid Rock.

Here are more lyrics to this beautiful hymn that express the hope we have in a “stormy” and unstable world:

When darkness veils his lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Supports me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

When Darkness Veils His Lovely Face

As I said earlier, there is so much in our world that we could allow to “veil Jesus’ face.” Yet, we must remember, His grace is unchanging and He is our anchor. Christ’s blood supports, cleanses, and redeems us. 

When everything around us seems to give way, we must continually look to Him and be rooted in Him. Then we can remain standing… on the Solid Rock!

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore… (Ephesians 6:13, 14a)

How have you been reminded of the strength and stability of the Rock lately? Let us know in the comments.

In Christ, our Solid Rock,
Ali

When the ground shifts under your feet, you might ask “What security do I really have? Where do I stand?” Let’s look to the hymn My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less to see that we stand on the Solid Rock. #HIStoriesBehindTheHymn
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Genesis 7:4, “Seven days from now I will make it rain…” God sent Noah and and his family to the ark a whole week before the flood began!

Genesis 7:12, “…rain fell on the earth 40 days and 40 nights…” That’s just about six weeks of a raging storm.

Genesis 7:24, “And the water surged on the earth 150 days.” The storm had ended, the trouble passed, but the effects remained in place for awhile.

Take Heart

All this month on the blog we’ve been looking at practical ways to live and love through the trouble we face in the world. There is a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel as states are beginning to open back up, flatten the curve, and otherwise return to normal operations.

But whether it’s this or something else, trouble is one thing we can always expect. Jesus promised it, as certainly as he promised us peace and courage to see that trouble through.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Ali reminded us to Leap into the Word, to grow our confidence in an unshakeable God. David faced Goliath without fear because he’d spent enough time with God to know His character. His courage came from understanding that God is trustworthy and good. Ultimately it wasn’t up to David to defeat Goliath. “Though Satan comes to do things like rob us of joy, paralyze us with fear, and destroy our peace and trust, Jesus has come so that we might have abundant life in Him— regardless of our circumstances. (See John 10:10)”

God “knows how to turn hopeless scenarios into extraordinary miracles. And as God did in the past, He can also do today,” He uses us to Reach One At A Time. The needs are overwhelming, but Lisa shared the example of Jesus going broad – reaching out to people as he encountered them, and deep – investing in and developing the relationships among those closest to him because “the more we connect with our community now, the stronger our relationships will be when we come out of quarantine.”

Jennifer’s post, Never Alone, reminded us that “the presence of Christ brings peace”. Matthew’s gospel begins (Matthew 1;23) and ends (Matthew 28:20) with the assurance that Jesus is God with us.

Cheli helped us grapple with grief by defining what it means to lament. (Seasons of Lament: Embracing Grief and Hope) “A lament gives us space to mourn, encourages us to reach up and out and spurs us towards steps of faith.”

We shared prayers, Psalms, songs, stories, and past posts in hopes of providing something tangible for our community to use through this time of crisis.

God Remembers

Genesis 8:1, “But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.”

Noah and his family spent a long time sheltering in place, waiting for the storm to pass, and the waters to subside. But they were never alone, never forgotten, never out of reach. That is the message we need to hold on to and share with the suffering. Pain, trials, challenges, and difficulties are inevitable. We will have trouble. But Jesus has overcome the world.

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The moment I said it out loud, I knew the word “alone” masked the truth. As Believers, we are never alone.

God with Us

It is a beautiful thing as the Body of Christ to be the hands and feet of Jesus, attending to the comfort and physical needs of one another. But even when we cannot reach one another, in our quietest, most solitary of times, Christ Himself is present with us. We are never alone.

Matthew begins and ends his Gospel with the assurance that Christ is “God with us.”

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” (which means, God with us).
(Matthew 1:23)

“And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20)

The presence of the Lord with His people is central to the story of the Bible — from the intimacy of the Garden of Eden to the presence of the Lord in the Temple among the Israelite’s, from the physical incarnation of Christ to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, God is with us.

King David knew the closeness of the Lord in seasons of heartache. He wrote, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

Similarly, Jesus taught “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:2-4)

Weathering the Storm

A thoughtful message by an unknown author was recently shared on social media recognizing that, while we are all in the storm of this pandemic together, we are not all “in the same boat.” Our individual experiences differ greatly. For some, the pandemic has meant painful loneliness. For others, it is too much togetherness. It has brought financial insecurity, the loss of a job, or hunger to many. This pandemic has meant severe illness for many patients, and exhausting, high-risk work for health care workers. And for many families, it has meant the loss of loved ones and the grief that follows.

While each of us may be weathering this storm “in a different boat,” Christ walks out across the stormy waters towards every one of us.

“But the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.  And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”… And when [Jesus and Peter] got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
(Matthew 14:24-27, 32-33)

Your pandemic-weathering boat may be crowded right now, with family juggling both work and school in the same space every day. Or you may be alone in your boat, weathering trials your neighbors know nothing about. Regardless of your unique burdens in this storm, know that Jesus is walking out to join you. Invite Him in.

Peace accompanies His presence.

As Jesus got into the boat, the wind ceased. The presence of Christ brings peace.

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
(John 14:27)

Sometimes, the storm rages on around us. Jesus was very clear that we should expect trouble in this life — tribulation. Jesus spoke to His disciples of His peace at a time when His crucifixion was still ahead and their own trials were only beginning. However, He also assured them that He would never leave them, and that, soon, the Holy Spirit would be sent as to equip them, comfort them, and intercede on their behalf.

 In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33b)

This month, when the news is heavy and the future uncertain, I’ve been reaching for Psalm 121 and hymns like In Christ Alone to ground myself in truth. I am not alone. Not one of His children is alone, today or any day ahead.

Take heart, we are not alone.

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One of the things Jesus promised us is that we will face trouble while we live on this earth.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. (John 16:33) 

Tribulation is a fancy word for trouble. I can’t think of a better description of what we are facing with this coronavirus. Most of us are isolated in our homes, inconvenienced by the widespread shut down. But others are hurting. Friends and neighbors are struggling with sickness, loss of loved ones, job loss and bills to pay. We are all facing uncertainty and anxiety. It’s trouble with a capital T! 

How can we, as the hands and feet of Jesus, respond to the fear, anxiety, and trouble the world is facing? 

Thankfully, the promise does not end there. Jesus said, 

But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Through his work on the cross and his resurrection (the very event we celebrate this coming Sunday!), He is already victorious over sin and death. 

As Betsie Ten Boom (sister of Corrie Ten Boom, author of The Hiding Place) once said,

“…the lightning crack of justice has already struck, and we live in the silence before the thunderclap.”

The storm is still raging around us, but we know the happy ending is coming.

This month on the blog we’re going to be looking at some practical ways we can live and love our neighbors through the current trouble we call the covid19 crisis. May your experience be filled with the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. May He guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)!

The post Take Heart: Responding to Trouble in the World appeared first on Do Not Depart.

This is week 1 in our 8-week journey in Psalm 91.

It’s Coming

We woke up to a loud knocking on our hotel door.

It was 5 a.m. on our honeymoon. Jeff and I had spent the last 4 days in Hawaii. We had two more days to go on the small island of Kauai. Or so we thought.

The hotel worker at the door was warning us: Stay here! Do not leave the hotel! A hurricane is coming!

Isn’t this how all of us feel in our world right now? Stay at home! Go nowhere! The pandemic is coming!

If you’re like me, it’s caused you to be unfocused, to have trouble concentrating, to feel insecure.

What is safe and what isn’t?

Listen for the Announcement

A few hours later that morning, another hotel worker warned us to leave our rooms and belongings. Gather in the hotel ballroom. It would be safer there than in our individual rooms when the hurricane came on shore.

We listened to their announcement, to every word they said.

Listen for God’s announcements in this COVID-19 crisis, too. Here’s one announcement in Psalm 91:1, a 9-1-1 verse when we’re in need of protection.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1

Find Your Safe Place

Jeff and I gathered a few things to take with us to the ballroom…two pillows, my purse, a book…then locked our door, following the crowd to the ballroom. Many people were already there, huddled around tables, talking, worrying, wondering. But safe.

Where is the best place for us to shelter-in-place from a pandemic? God’s presence. God’s presence is the safest place for us any time, good times or bad.

When we dwell in His shelter (remain, abide, take a seat and stay awhile), we are shaded from the heat of the storm. The storm doesn’t go away, but we have a layer of peace covering us in the midst of it.

Talk to the Chaos

But the hotel ballroom wasn’t our final hiding place that day of Hurricane Iniki. Before long, the strong winds broke windows of the ballroom and rain came in, mixed with shards of glass. The staff led us all to a part of the hotel I’d never seen before, the tunnels underneath.

There was more people than room to spread out in the tunnels. We scrunched together along the walls in the narrow hallways.

Everyone was tired, hungry, anxious. But a strange thing happened. No longer able to hear the winds we knew were furiously ripping into everything above us, we filled the room instead with conversations, with singing, with prayers.

Psalm 91:2 does the same thing. After hearing the announcement in verse 1, the psalmist responds:

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:2

We need to say this, too. Speak it over your chaos.

And say it to the Lord, even when you’re wavering, even when you’re scared, even when you’re uncertain of what will happen next: “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Declare who you know Him to be, even in the midst of your doubts.

It’s enough from us. The heavy load is on God.

And God is bigger than our faith, stronger than our fears, and more peaceful than our storms.

This Storm Will Pass

By nightfall, Hurricane Iniki left. It had devastated the island of Kauai, Hawaii, throughout the day.

But now it was still. Quiet. Dark. Most of our hotel was still standing. And everyone inside the hotel was safe. We had stayed put, and it made a difference.

We were each given a candle and released to return to our rooms. Our room was still habitable, although it was wet and contained debris, despite the door still being closed.

We finally went to sleep that night, not knowing how or when we would get home (that’s another story).

But we were alive. And together.

Regardless of the devastation that the coronavirus threatens us with, we can rest assured that if we stay in our shelter, once the storm passes, our souls will have survived.

And we will still be with God. Together.

He’ll help us pick up the pieces and put our lives back together. Then, as now, He will remain our refuge, our fortress, our God.

In Him we can trust.

Find your safe place. Words to say in the storm, the 9-1-1 of Psalms. #memorizepsalm91 #hidehisword
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• Is your state under a “shelter-in-place” order? How are you doing with it?
• Do you have a prayer room or favorite chair or other place in your home where you can quietly meet with God?

Please share in the comments; we’re in this together.

The post How to Shelter-in-Place in God With the 9-1-1 of Psalms {Psalm 91:1-2} appeared first on Do Not Depart.