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In the midst of all the worry over the Coronavirus, I had a realization. This week at my work, we have a sweet group of people called Sojourners doing work for us around campus. Every morning we have a devotional with the Sojourners. The morning the news broke out about the Coronavirus hitting my home state, one of the Sojourners prayed for God’s protection.
With all the conversations going on about the Coronavirus, this was the first time I heard God brought into the conversation. This made me stop and ask myself, what is my first response when trouble comes? Do I find out all the precautionary measures, start stock piling supplies, worry about the effects on the economy, or do I first humbly bow my head and ask for God’s protection? There are many ways in which going to God in prayer first helps us with many of the aspects of these types of situations.
Prayer reminds us where true safety is found
I grew up listening to Focus on the Family’s radio dramas. Jenalyn wrote in a previous post about the impact the story of the TenBoom family has had on our lives. This family lived in a time where they constantly had to watch over their shoulder. At any moment, the Gestapo could have dragged them all off to jail. One of my favorite quotes from the radio drama goes something like this,
“There is no place safer than others. The center of God’s will is our only safety.”
True safety is found in God. Matthew 10:29-31 encourages,
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Prayer keeps us humble
In a monthly ladies Bible study I attend, we talked about prayer this month. The question was posed, “What keeps us from bringing even the little things to God?” I think one attitude keeping us from approaching God with the little things is pride. We look first to see if we can fix it. If we realize we cannot fix it, then we turn to God. We may also keep from bringing the little things to God because we do not want to appear needy. 1 Peter 5:6-7 encourages,
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Notice, this verse says ALL your anxieties. It does not say some or just the big ones; God wants us to bring all of our cares to Him. From the first part of this verse, we see that casting all our anxieties is a form of humility. Instead of turning to ourselves and relying on our own strength, we rely on the strength and might of our awesome God.
Prayer keeps us focused on our calling
When we humble ourselves before God, we are also reminded of His love. A love so deep that he desires imperfect people to approach His throne. Acknowledging God’s love for us brings us back to our calling that Paul reminds Timothy about in 1 Timothy 1:5,
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Everyone will have a different response to situations like the Coronavirus. How do we react to others who respond differently? In all that we do, are we showing love?
Pray and Rely
Once we have prayed, we also have to rely on God’s might and trust that He has got this! In Exodus chapter 14, the Israelites had left Egypt and are camped by the Red Sea. The Egyptians, bitter over the Israelites leaving, come after the Israelites. Once the Israelites see the Egyptians, they begin panicking and calling out to God. In verses 13-14 we read,
And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
A lot of the media coverage and speculations about the Coronavirus may invoke fear. This is definitely a situation out of our control. The real control is in God’s hands. We are not guaranteed that bad things will not happen, but we are guaranteed that we will be okay.
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