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This is Day 123 of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Since that infamous date of January 20, 2020, 1, 557, 853 cases and 93, 439 deaths have been reported in this country. World wide the numbers are even more staggering. Along side those statistics is the one that tells the story of the virus’ impact upon the economy. 39 million people are currently unemployed. That’s more than double the numbers who were out of work during the 1930’s. True, the population is greater now than then, but the percentages tell the story. Analysts say the current unemployment rate is around 13 percent, close to if not exceeding that of the Great Depression. And even as businesses reopen, the rate continues to climb. Right about now you’ll probably wondering,  “What’s up, Ms. Peace in His Presence? Are you trying to send us into our despair closet clutching our Linus blanket?” My answer is “NO.” Take heart, gentle reader. Hope is the balance and antidote for every ill known to man.

The opening lines of Charles Dickens’ famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities, seem fitting for this moment in our history: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us… .” It doesn’t take much reflection to see in each of those descriptors of the times about which he writes, a picture of our current season. On the one hand we’ve never been in a better position technologically and scientifically than we are to design counterattacks against the virus even as it continues to infect and kill. The wisdom spoken by medical experts holds its own and continues to triumph over the foolishness spread by ignorance. In the midst of darkness cased by the disease, light shines in the heroic efforts of those who care for the victims. Hope answers the door each time despair knocks.

Because we believe that “the God who made the world is the same God who can and will fix the world,” we cling to our hope that what we face is no match for Him in whom nothing is impossible.  In Psalm 12 David opens with a plea, “Help. Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men….”  God seems to cut him off about midway through this lament. He speaks directly to David’s cry for help and makes plain His promise to protect his people.  With that assurance, David ends his psalm affirming his belief that God will keep them safe and protect them forever.

During these off-kilter times, we of faith must remember God’s promises. They have not vanished; they stand today. Those promises are our un-frayed  “Linus blanket.” They give us hope and hope does not disappoint.  On the other side of the bridge of trust,  it stands waiting to embrace us as we stay the course; through pandemics and whatever else the enemy throws upon our path to glory.

Love. Joy. Peace.

 

We begin the second day of the new week in this fifth month of the  ongoing pandemic. As yet unabated, COVID-19’s numbers climb as more testing reveals more infections.  That portrait of the virus’ impact seems logical. But we live in illogical times. So it’s not surprising that veiled hints have casted aspersions upon testing as part of the solution. In a world turned upside down, the suggestion that less testing is a positive strategy because it results in less known infections seems a normal response. But we who give greater attention to God our Creator refute that thinking. We understand this is a battle beyond one of flesh and blood. This pandemic seeks to destroy not just our physical well-being, but our spiritual as well. To combat it we must as Ephesians 6 counsels, ” put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground…” I think most of you will agree with me that “the day of evil” is upon us.

And so as we search for our weapons of vaccines and medications to combat the physical attacks of this evil, we go to our spiritual armory for the weapons to defeat the spiritual assault. Ephesians further  tells us to suit up by buckling the belt of Truth around our waist. Truth blocks the misleading statements of the uninformed, the ignorant and the proud. It shines light upon what is real and what is not.  In addition to our belt of Truth, we hoist our shield of Faith and in so doing extinguish the flaming arrows of fallacious assertions shot our way. We protect our minds by donning the helmet of Salvation, and grasping the sword of the Spirit which is our Bible, the holy word of God. Within its pages are divine words that counter fear, worry, anxiety, self-pity, depression, despair, and defeatism.  Finally, we humble ourselves and Pray. Prayer we know is our greatest weapon, the ultimate weapon against evil and its minions. For this is what this pandemic is-a minion of evil seeking to kill and destroy God’s beloved.

But we, His beloved, are not without our defenses. Our strength is found in the power of our Lord and Savior. So as He guides the research that will conquer the secular threat, He also reminds us that we already have what we need for victory over the spiritual threats. All we are required to do is partake of the spiritual cornucopia He’s given us,  and wait in peace as His work in the secular continues.

Love. Joy. Peace.

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” (Job 13:15) These words of the person in the Old Testament who epitomizes “suffering” came to mind today. Most of us know Job’s story of unmerited suffering and unrelenting faith. He stands forever as an example of what trusting God looks like in the midst of  devastation and ruin; when hopes and dreams are crushed like rocks in a quarry. Many in this era of a viral pandemic can identify with him. The most recent numbers are mind-blowing: 1, 443, 946 cases, 86, 244 deaths and 312, 513 recovered. Projections don’t inspire hope for a major turnaround anytime soon. Those statistics are not static; in the time it takes to complete this blog, more people will have been identified as positive, and more will have died.  On the surface, Suffering may seem to have secured its place in the new norm.

But what gives me increasing hope is the manner in which Trust is asserting itself in the annals of this 21st century pandemic. At the onset of the rising infections and deaths in a nation accustomed to its status as a world leader in  quality health and medical care, the threat seemed minor. But as days became weeks and weeks months, the numbers kept growing. Over night it seems, Suffering took center stage; playing a role that aroused fear and dread.

As the initial shock began to wear off, and new protocols were instituted, we of the faith community (and others to be fair) drew upon the will to survive God created in us all. That creative, preserving spirit He instilled broke through the barrier Suffering depends upon to keep us fearful. We remembered that God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and courage.

And with that spirit,  Trust  flourishes now  and is growing stronger each day.  Trusting God enables us to press on. We find strength in individual and collective efforts to do things differently, to realize a lot of what used to be normal wasn’t necessarily in our best interest. We’ve learned to do with less as the reality of how much we have had  is more than we needed. And perhaps the greatest lesson we are learning is when we wait on God without worry, we elevate Trust to the starring role in this tale of a virus that sought to lay low God’s people. If we who trust the Lord demonstrate we can be cast into a fiery furnace or a lion’s den, and still survive, the timeless echo of Job will resound in us. Our boos will drive Suffering off the stage into the darkness from which it came. Our trust will be in God, irrespective of the trials of the moment. Yet though He slay us, we will trust Him still.

Love. Joy. Peace.

 

Two important gatherings dominate the news this morning. The outcomes of both will impact the burden-laden citizens of the land of the “free and the brave.” In the Senate, a COVID-19 bipartisan committee questions the heads of the nation’s leading health organizations to hear expert prognoses of the coronavirus’ threat to the country. In the Supreme Court, arguments will be heard by the justices in the lawsuit filed against the President’s bank  demanding that it release his financial records to the congregational investigating committee.

In this period of surrealism in our country, we face two threats that have the potential to reshape life as most of us have known it. On the one hand, we face (in masks) a viral infection whose origin is still debated, whose power to infect at will remains unrestrained, for whom there is no vaccine or proven antidote, that has wrecked the economy and disrupted the social order and that seems to sneer at the efforts so far to control it, or at least lessen its destructive forces.  And at the same time that we wrestle this foe, we combat also a threat to the principles of law that have governed the nation since it was founded, one that is on the verge of turning a democracy into a dictatorship. Not since 1974 when the sitting president defied the congressional branch of the democratic government and refused to respond to lawful subpoenas has the nation seen the current attempt to pretty much do the same. Essentially claiming a president is above the law and not subject to its governance.

Only God knows the ultimate outcome of these threats to the nation; whether this is our time of reckoning or just another nail in a yet unclosed coffin. I am of the mind it is the latter simply because I believe we serve a long-suffering God who does not want us, this nation of professed Christians,  to be doomed eternally. I believe that if more of us continue to pray, wait and trust Him to do the work only He can do, in time the current health and political crises will be resolved. I don’t pretend the resolutions will take us back to “how it used to be.” I imagine a new normal when all is said and done. My hope is that within the design of that new normal, the world will better see in us the image of Christ not just in what we profess, but in what do.

On the prayer line this morning, my co-leader referenced a phrase she’d  once heard as part of her devotional on the uselessness of worry. “Worrying,” she said, “is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.” That bit of folk wisdom is apropos to the times. Yes, with these two threats we might feel worrying is a normal response; when you don’t know which way these winds might blow, worrying that you might be blown away may seem reasonable. Surely, it’s human. But in the deep recesses of our being, we know worry is not the answer; it’s just  something to do. We who profess God and the Lord as Savior know it because we know who controls the winds, who has the solutions and designs ready to reveal in His timing, who for whom nothing is impossible and all things are possible for those who love Him. And because we know these truths, we add prayer to our rocking and trust that it will give power, not to the chair, but to us to live the faith we proclaim; A faith that says, “As long as we are under His watch, we have nothing to fear and thus nothing for which to be worried about.

Love. Joy. Peace.

On this day after Mother’s Day, I imagine the joy that many mothers of all descriptions felt yesterday lingers. One more deposit to what I term their “mother’s memory bank” and available for withdrawal when needed. Whether the connection to mom was in person, virtual, via phone call or text message, it undoubtedly brought solace and comfort during this difficult time in our history.

It goes without saying that there were and are countless other mothers who did not enjoy this annual tribute. For a myriad of reasons,  for them the traditional celebrations marking the day are anything but comforting. Reflecting upon that reality, I recalled an article in the paper the other day in which the author shared how hard it is these days to avoid the blues that shadows her spirits during this pandemic. I imagined that they mimic the feelings of sadness of the mothers referenced above. Indeed this is a time when such feelings can weigh heavily, not just for mothers but for all of us as we fight to maintain the joy God wants us to know at the same time we fight the coronavirus. The author went on to offer as an antidote for lifting one’s spirits the titles of  “comfort books.” She referenced several and suggested that they might assuage the COVID-19 blues. I’m not familiar with the books she highlighted and so can’t pass judgment on whether they are comfort and solace givers or not. What I can add do is add to  the top of her list the bestselling “comfort book” ever written in the annals of human history – the Holy Bible.

It is a comfort and solace giver written for mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, grandfathers and grandmothers,  aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws; for any and everyone  who struggles to make sense of life and its challenges whether during a pandemic or any other disruption of the norm.  Accessing biblical comfort requires cultivating a discipline that I know works.  I suggest you begin with 10-15 minutes daily reading biblical verses that speak to comfort and solace. Such verses are typically listed in the concordance or glossary at the back of the Bible.  To get you started, I offer  a few: Psalm 27:12; Isaiah 41:10; John 16:22;  Matthew 10:29-31; and Matthew 6:25-34. These and a myriad of other verses when read and reflected upon regularly will bring an almost supernatural sense of peace during the worse times. Will they ward off the pandemic and protect you physically from possible infection? No. But what they will do is protect you from the malaise, the sense of doom, the bewilderment, the anxiety, and fear times like this dredge up. They will like the Mother’s Day expressions of love give joy.

Love. Joy. Peace.

TGIF! Remember when that was the universal exclamation on the last workday  of the week? No matter at what level of employment you labored, you welcomed Fridays. Stretching before you were two days free of the demands of the workplace. Time for your happy dance!

As of today, the United States has 22 million people who are no longer smiling as the hours of Friday slip away, no high-fiving, or talk about plans for the weekend with family and friends. None of them are doing a happy dance. For these millions of unemployed, every day is now Friday. No need to look forward to time with family; they spend every day with family. As surely as those who are fighting to survive the deadly coronavirus infection, these individuals who keep the wheels of the economy in motion are fighting a battle too.

It’s sad, worse than sad, that back in January and early February when the data regarding the potential dangers of the virus became  public, the falling domino effect it would have was not taken seriously. Perhaps if Wisdom and Discernment had been allowed their day, these 22 million people would be enjoying another typical Friday. But as the old folks say, “No use crying over spilt milk. Get a towel and wipe it up.”

That’s what we’re doing now; trying to wipe up the “split milk” of our time-the coronavirus; trying to prevent the infection rate from continuing to climb; trying to stop the death toll; trying to triage the deadly shots to the economy; trying to salvage what we can. But progress is slow, quirky, and as of now unencouraging. Could our problem be we aren’t using the right brand of towels to “wipe it up,” the brand that guarantees to soak up messy spills irrespective of how big they are? I think that is exactly the issue. I will not stop saying it: we can not win this battle, nor wipe up the mess of spilt ignorance and hubris and partisan politics in which it is enmeshed until we bring Wisdom and Discernment from behind the curtain into the starring roles. These two are renown for their abilities to “wipe up” like nothing else can.  Why? Because they are manufactured by Jehovah Inc. and their CEO is  our Lord and Savior.

We can respect the work of scientists, pharmaceutical companies and all others engaged in finding the right  “towels” to wipe up and contain the damage of this viral onslaught. We pray for their success in so doing. But as importantly, we turn to God for whom nothing is impossible; and for whom all things are possible. We grab for His “towel”, our Bibles,  and seek the wisdom and discernment contained therein as we confront the spilt mess of this season. We rely on His words to sustain us spiritually and emotionally so that our physical efforts to deal with this threat are not weakened by fear, worry or ignorance.

Love. Joy. Peace.

Yesterday’s post kept getting pushed further into the day until the hours expired. Sometimes it’s like that. Thank goodness for a new day with its opportunity to do a little better than the day before.

That said, I am late starting. Try as I might to spread tasks  evenly over the week, somehow stuff stacks up anyway, and before I know it, morning has bid adieu and afternoon is close on its heels. I’m filled with praise and thanksgiving today. If you read  the headlines in the morning paper blaring that as the state continues to reopen, the number of Covid-19 infections continue to rise, you might wonder why. Added to that dismal news is the reporting regarding the unprovoked killing of a 25 year old Black jogger back in February in the small town of Brunswick by two white men he passed as he jogged. Neither has been convicted and a grand jury was only recently formed when a video of the shooting was released to the public. Neither of these breaking news events would seem to point toward praising and offering thanks.

What I continue to discover on this journey home to the Savior is that irrespective of our personal or communal circumstances, there is always a reason (or reasons) to praise God and say, “Thank you, Lord.” Earlier during my virtual visit with my son at the long-term facility in which he resides, the nursing director appeared in the frame  and shared the results of last week’s residents and staff  COVID-19 testing: none of them tested positive. It was a Alleluia moment. My prayers lifted daily regarding the well-being of the nursing home community were answered with a resounding, YES. Later in the afternoon, my niece called with an update regarding my sister who has been in the hospital for eight days and counting. She developed a blood clot and instead of waiting to see if it could be treated with anticoagulants, the doctors installed a stint to address the problem immediately. She continues her recovery. Again, daily prayers for her healing and recovery were answered in the affirmative.

Those are just two personal examples, but they serve the purpose of my point today. In the season we’re in, it would be easy to dwell only upon the negatives. There are so many of them! If we measured the negatives confronting humanity at the moment, they might give the positives a run for the money. Or so it seems. But if we pause, take a deep breathe, and turn our focus toward Jesus and the daily blessings, mercies and grace He bestows, we will find Alleluia moments sprinkled throughout each day. Just the fact that we woke up and are in this moment alive is reason to say, “Thank you, Jesus.” And if in His grace He has added to that reality an answer to your prayer requests, that’s even more reason to praise Him.   A change of perspective from one of fear or anxiety or even defeatism to one that claims the peace God gives helps you see with spiritual eyes the perks of being a believer. And when a perk is perceived it’s time to say, “Hallelujah.”

Love. Joy. Peace.

You get a gold star if you caught the error in yesterday’s date. I wrote May 5 instead of May 4. (Only one reader so noted! Thanks Cassandra) Today is May 5, familiarly known as Cinco de Mayo in western parts of Mexico and California.  It commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla in which Mexico defeated French forces in 1862.   It’s a day that celebrates the history and culture of Mexico and people of Mexican heritage. As I recall my years in Los Angeles, I wonder how and if the traditional observances and celebrations are being held today.  With closed schools, nothing is happening in the hallowed halls of education. And with city, county and state government also in shelter-in- place modes,  I doubt much is going on at those levels either.  I imagine the private sector too has felt the impact on what would normally be a brisk day for business. Yes, it might seem a minor issue when compared with the much weightier  concerns caused by the pandemic- nursing homes and meat packing  plant infections and deaths, more inland states’ infection rates climbing, federal government bickering over aid to state governments needing assistance, insufficient testing of all citizens, and the list goes on.  In truth though, it speaks to the general state of the times. It’s not just big stuff or little stuff, but all the stuff that has shifted the axis of life as we knew it. “Times they are a changing.” I think we can safely say, they have changed. We must wait to see if those changes will be for the better or the worse.

I’m reading a John Sanford novel. It’s one of those FBI thrillers in which the main characters scurry to find the identity of the bad person, in this instance the bad guy, responsible for the killings of innocent people. I marked the closing lines of one of the chapters; it spoke volumes to 2020 pandemic America and the world. In response to the hero’s comments that they had reached a point in the investigation where they had no idea how the problem would be resolved or when they’d be done with it, his boss responds, “So we fall back on prayer. I was afraid we’d get there sooner or later.” What a window into our souls! The need for prayer acknowledged, but as the last resort. In other words, when all else fails, it’s time to pray.

In a country that claims to be a Christian nation, we bear a striking resemblance to those that disavow our faith. Throughout this pandemic I have longed to see standing with the doctors and scientists and politicians presenting the  latest pandemic facts and statistics, a Christian clergyperson (and not the same one each time , but different ones representing the various Christian denominations that preach the risen Christ as the Son of God) offering spiritual and biblical counsel to those watching. We need not just the facts, but a sense that in this nation of Christian believers, we need a word from on High. I know some will respond, “Isn’t that what church is for?” I answer,” That attitude is part of the problem.” For Christians to set aside their faith until Sunday during a crises such as the one we battle goes against my theology. Faith is what helps us process the statistics and facts without despair, confusion, helplessness and anger. Faith is the ingredient that makes the other ingredients less threatening. Faith mixes in and gives strength to the weak; courage to the fearful; hope to the hopeless; peace to the anxious and worried; and joy to the joyless.  Secular presentations are not enough. Prayer ought to have been our first line of defense instead of our fallback position; private and public prayer. Times are changing; times have changed. In a Christian nation it’s past time to elevate faith to its proper position- the head of the line; beginning and ending briefings and press conferences. Talk about a change!  Now that’s a change!

“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Love. Joy. Peace.

 

 

Like a lot of writers, I keep a little notebook in which I jot ideas for future pieces.  Sticking out of the top of it for almost a year now  is a devotional page I tore from a  May,  2019 “Upper Room.” On it I wrote, ” Save for blog.” I reread it this morning and decided it’s time to weave it into a word to help us in these turbulent times to stay the course .

Entitled, “Accidental Wisdom,” it is an amusing yet thoughtful story shared by a woman with the writer Randy Kilgore. The scripture reference is Philippians 4:8. The Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to the predominantly Gentile church he had established in the Macedonian city of Philippi on his second missionary journey. It’s basically a letter that commends the Philippians for their faith and encourages them to focus their lives on living as much like Christ as possible. (This little biblical history is added as a perk.)  The woman told of an incident with her preteen son who she admonished for watching news coverage of a violent event. Turning off the television produced the inevitable argument which the mother ended by stating that he needed to fill his mind with “whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely…” Later that day as the parents watched the news their five year old daughter came in and proceeded to turn off the television and with the self-righteousness of the very young proclaim that they didn’t need to watch that “stuff,”  and should “think about those Bible things!”

The little miss know-it-all’s accusatory tone has merit. If the dark side of life is off limits for big brother, shouldn’t it be for their parents too. Followers of Christ must take to heart the advice Paul gave to our biblical ancestors when he wrote, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Aside from the obvious lesson that parents have to be careful to practice what they teach,  is the reality that what we allow into our minds does have consequences. In this era of a viral pandemic, two mindsets are ours to embrace. We can adhere to the apostle’s advice above or we can fill our minds with what is false, what is ignoble, what is wrong, what is impure, what is  deplorable, and what is inferior or blameworthy.   Filling  our days and evenings with a constant barrage of doom and gloom inevitably leads to depression and despair and fear.  We must balance what we read and hear so that we can sift through all of it and arrive at the truth. That truth as understood from Paul’s words will insure a mindset that keeps its focus on Christ. And a mind that is stayed on Christ will be at peace in the midst of any crises, including the current one.

Love. Joy. Peace.