Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path’s straight.”
Can you believe it’s been almost a year since the pandemic began in earnest. My church was shut down for the first time March 15. We were closed until the first Sunday in June, at which point we were able to open in our Fellowship Hall so we could social distance. Nine months later, we are still there. Now some have said that this will prove to us that the church is the people and not the building, and while of course that is true, the people are now six feet apart.
People have had to struggle through major losses without a caring hug from a brother or sister.
There are people we care for who we have not seen in a year. Statisticians say that those folks won’t be back but I hold on to hope that the statisticians are wrong. Phone calls have been a sorry substitute for visits. The shut-ins are even more shut in and the list could go on on, but this is not going to be Dave’s whine fest. Rather I want to use this set-up to ask a question:
Where do we go from here?
The first answer is obvious. We go to prayer. Now I know that may sound trite, but if it does sound trite, I refer you to the verse that started this post and ask “Are you leaning on your own understanding?” I will confess that there have been many times throughout the last year when I have been a frustrated boy, but somehow I realize I need to trust in the Lord with all my heart. He has a purpose in all of this, and while I do not know what it is, I continue to trust in that Romans 8:28 prayer that this will somehow work out for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. God can still be trusted, and He is so much more trustworthy than my assessment of the events. So we must go perpetually to prayer.
Second we must follow God’s leading, which means we don’t just speak out prayers. We remember that prayer is a conversation with God and at this point in history, we cannot afford to make our prayer a one-sided conversation where we are doing all the talking. This may be the best time in my lifetime to utter the simple prayer Eli taught young Samuel, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” From there we have to get comfortable with waiting in silence until the Lord speaks and when He speaks, we must act.
One thing is for certain. None of this has caught God off-guard. He has a plan to get through it, and part of that plan is likely you. God put you in this time, so rest assured He has a purpose for you in this time. That purpose and plan likely include the talents He has invested in you, or maybe even something you’ve not yet discovered. Faithfulness right now is more important than ever. We must follow the Lord and do what He says. If you’re like me, you’ve learned a lot in these days, and some of these things are skills that will help you to take the Gospel further than you could have imagined. New ministries have been started. New actions need to be taken and all of this could well be part of God’s plan. It might actually be God working for your good. He promised He would. Maybe we need to look for where He is at work and join Him in it.
Where do we go from here? We go to prayer and we follow His lead. It’s not always going to make sense at the time. It doesn’t have to, because remember we’re trusting in the Lord and not our own understanding. Be faithful and watch God unfold His plan before your eyes, oh and one more thing. Prepare to be amazed!
AMOKArts 