Grace, mercy and peace ARE yours in Christ. Please read these words from Psalm 46 and take a deep breath with me:
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Whether you have tried to or not, you can't help but hear about the Coronavirus that is going around and the measures going into place to be proactive in any way we can. It can be quite overwhelming. It can be frightening. I feel it too.
However, what I keep reminding myself and I hope all of you remind yourselves is this: Our God has not changed... therefore nothing has changed for us. We still have a God who is our refuge and strength. WE still have a God who loves us. We still have a God who does all the things that Psalm 46 describes. Read those beautiful words again. Nothing stands in the way for him to be there for his people and to be our God who is still in control. That is why we can breathe. We can be still and know that HE is God. I am so thankful for that! I pray that this psalm as well as the reality of your faith gives you hope and a broader perspective. While this virus and the news about it may cause us to be afraid, let us put our lives and our hope in our God who will be with us. Therefore, we can BE STILL.
Pastor Buelow