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Devotion for Monday, March 30
Deuteronomy 31: 6.
Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you."
There's a word I've been hearing way too often these last few weeks, and that word is "unprecedented." None of us have experienced anything like this. We've got all kinds of mixed emotions all jumbled up inside of us - fear, worry, concern, boredom - and probably every other negative emotion you can think of. We don't like to be told that we can't do what we want. We don't like having our lifestyle disrupted. And we sure don't like having our livelihood be threatened by a microscopic virus we can't even see.
But let me say this from my heart. We are children of the Living God. We don't live by fear. We live by faith. And we have a job to do right now. My grandmother always said, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." So our job right now is to do everything we possibly can to make a tough situation better. We're going to stay home, we're going to stay healthy, we're going to keep others healthy, and somehow, in the process, we're going to make the world a better place. The one thing we're NOT going to do is to lose heart.
If we're young and healthy, we're going to check on our friends and neighbors who AREN'T so young and healthy - just call them and make sure they're doing okay. We're going to find some way to make this a fruitful time, and a meaningful time. That's what Christians do. We have a group of people right now who are making masks to be used in hospital settings. Maybe you can think of some other way to use your time to the glory of God. So let's do our best to find some way to do God's work even when we're stuck at home. And above all else, let's pray. Pray for the sick, pray for those working on vaccines and treatments, and pray for our leaders. They need guidance and strength, and so do we.
Let's pray: Dear God, today I offer you all of my fears and all of my negative emotions. I pray, instead, Lord, that you would help me look around and see the needs in the world and find some way, in my present circumstance, to make a difference in at least one person's life today. Amen.
Pastor Janice
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