Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Philippians 4:6 NLT
It’s about 90 minutes before day breaks. The newscast this morning is coronavirus broken up with weather and traffic blurbs. I turn it off.
“Why all this fear and tension, Lord?”
A quote from The Bible App (Rescue: Finding God in Life’s Challenges by Grace Hill Media) relays that the roots of fear are in a lack of information and a lack of perspective. God is omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (ever-present) in His perfection. Since He knows all and has complete perspective, He is able to cast out fear. As believers and students of His Word, most of us believe that in our hearts, but have difficulty letting our brains release the fear.
Yesterday, one of our senior regional managers sent out a video of a pulmonary doctor from New York explaining coronavirus, how it’s spread (and how it is NOT spread), what it does (and what it does NOT do), how to prevent exposure and what to do if you are exposed. I shared it with some of our staff members – one of whom has a niece who is an infectious disease doctor and has worked for the CDC – who confirmed everything the NY pulmonologist related. Facts. Information. Truth. Common Sense. Quite honestly, at this point, coronavirus does not frighten me. Knowing how to not get it (Stay home. If you do have to go out, don’t touch people. Wash your hands if you do. Wash your hands when you touch things. Don’t touch your face. And don’t panic.) I am certainly concerned for anyone who has the disease. I pray healing for those afflicted and those exposed. Mike’s 93 year old aunt is in a hospital in Shawnee and has tested positive. However, her symptoms so far are quite mild and it sounds as though antibiotics will do their work in her. Having factual information and the perspective of these doctors who are treating the virus, who have studied the disease and it’s progression, releases my fears about the virus.
In the quiet, I hear birds singing. Yes, the birds are still singing, the squirrels still playing in the trees, daffodils and tulips are still blooming. Spring has arrived and getting bolder in her new colors every day. Proof all around us that God is on His throne. But I still feel sad, Lord! Why do I still feel this heaviness? I think about Brian English’s video last night and the fear he admits feeling for his safety and for his family – and his encouragement to “Stop, Listen, Relate….before you Communicate.”
And it hits me. I’m afraid of fear. I’ve been given the information and the perspective to calm my fear about coronovirus. I know the virus is real, but I also know it is limited. I have Scripture that tells me not to be afraid. I have the experience to know that God has never let me down. He is my strength. He is my rock. He is my power. However, watching newscasts, getting on social media to watch the Maywood videos, being at work – I see and hear fear. And that scares me. The “every-man-for-himself” attitude. The world scares me.
Daylight is breaking now. The sky to the east is a soft shade of pink under the clouds on the horizon. A reminder that in the harshness of this world, we can always rely on the gentleness of God’s comfort. He has conquered the world. He softly whispers “Do not be afraid, my child! I AM. Trust in me.” Yes, Lord. Thank you, Jesus.
Be Still In Motion 