My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare. –Psalm 25:15 (NIV)
In a Zora Neale Hurston novel, two characters took shelter from a storm and waited for it to end. In their waiting, Hurston writes, “They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.” In the midst of a storm is when the two characters suddenly realize they have little control over their lives and what ultimately happens to them; they will only be spared through the storm if God sees fit to save them. Like these characters, we too have little control over our lives. We are of limited power and might under the control of a sovereign God. It is in the knowledge of God, and through our relationship with God that we find comfort and peace through the storms of life.
In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. –Psalm 25:1 (NIV)
Amidst rising fears and concerns, government leaders worked to communicate their plans around the Middle Tennessee tornado disaster and the coronavirus pandemic. During one of the many press conferences on the coronavirus, these leaders struggled to respond to questions in a way that might create certainty and a feeling of security. Some in the audience remained unconvinced. For perhaps the first time in a long while, these leaders did not have all of the answers. They didn’t even have most of the answers. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” one leader has suggested. While watching the ongoing news this past week, Prophetess Smith’s words became glaringly relevant yet again: Pray and trust God.
It is easier to declare trust and faith in God when there is no natural disaster overlapping a pandemic threatening to upend life as we know it. Yet, the God we serve in times of peace and normalcy is the same God we must continue to serve and honor in times of chaos. Surely we will feel fear, but we must not succumb to it. We must remind ourselves of the promises of God throughout scripture. We must lean and depend on God, just as we have heard preached time and time again.
Who, then, are those who fear the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose. –Psalm 25:12 (NIV)
As we continue to pray and trust God, we anticipate God’s guidance to help us know which way to go, how to operate, and what we must do over these coming weeks. All of the issues we face are no match for our all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful God. In moments of catastrophe and chaos, we often crave stability and security. That is how our God made us. Fortunately for the believer, that stability and security comes through our reliance on God. We must keep our eyes on God!
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. –Psalm 105:3-4 (NIV)
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