March 22, 2020
Morning Service

We are in the midst of a time in our lives that is unprecedented; we have never seen anything like this before to compare it to.  As I challenged you last week, in this unique time we will encounter many opportunities for us as the church to shine.  Be a voice of encouragement to others and look for opportunities to serve in the Name of Jesus in this time of uncertainty.  The true challenge is to focus on your life and use this time to be sure your priorities are set in the right places.  As things are stripped away from us our vision of what is really important to us should come clearly into view.  “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:21) I can feel God speaking to my heart and saying “trust Me.”  We have no idea where this Covid-19 virus will take all of us, but we do know that God is the One driving the bus.  Jesus’ words about worrying about tomorrow are what I am trying to put into practice.

Mat 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

        I have never lived in a time that this is a truer statement.  I am a planner and I feel comfort in knowing I am prepared for tomorrow and what I expect to happen.  God is stretching me in asking me to truly live only one day at a time.  I am forced to learn to rely totally upon Him to help me through today and then trust Him to work out tomorrow for me as well.  I have found some scriptures that help me to do this and now let’s see if they speak to you as well.  The first one we will look at is God speaking to Joshua as He calls him into the leadership role of the Israelites.  It too is a time of uncertainty for Joshua as he has no idea what to expect for the future; much like we face today.

 

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

            Our faith becomes real when we trust God enough to “be strong and courageous” even we are not confident of what is going to happen.  We fully trust God to be with us chasing away our fear and anxiety.  As a child, I always felt safe and secure when my father was with me.  I trusted that he would always protect and keep me from harm.  If things ever did go bad, he was always the first one to come running to help out.  I take comfort in knowing that my earthly father acted that way mostly because he was imitating my Heavenly Father.  We need to take comfort in knowing “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  He is there in times of plenty and times of trouble.  Read through the Book of Joshua and notice all the times that God was true to His promise.  The Hebrew writer told us this:

 

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU."  (6)  So we may boldly say: "THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT FEAR. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?"

            If we truly believe by faith that God is on our side, who is it that we have to fear?  Your Lord and Savior promises, and we know He cannot lie (Titus 1:2), to “NEVER leave you nor forsake you!”  It is up to us to allow those words to create within ourselves to “be content with such things as you have.”  If we have God, we need nothing else as we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10).  It is times like we are living in right now that we need to fully trust Him even we don’t understand all that is happening around us.  Allow His presence in your life to chase away the many fears and anxieties that this pandemic brings with it.  He will never fail you nor ever leave you alone.  David, who lived almost his entire life in a time of uncertainty and trouble wrote this in Psalms:

 

Psalms 27:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

            Allow your faith in the Lord to remove the fear from your life and trust Him to be your strength, not relying upon your own.  Paul expounded upon the idea of God always being with us in his letter to the Romans.  Let these words speak to your anxious heart today.

 

Romans 8:31-39 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  (32)  He who did not spare His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  (33)  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.  (34)  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.  (35)  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  (36)  As it is written: "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE KILLED ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE ACCOUNTED AS SHEEP FOR THE SLAUGHTER."  (37)  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  (38)  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, (39) nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

            Take confidence in knowing that you hold a great value to God.  He gave His Own Son so that we could have an opportunity for not only eternal life, but also a personal relationship with Him.  God has given us His best and now Paul asks; will He not now give us all things that we need?  He did not go to all the trouble to create a relationship with us to then abandon us down the road.  He has invested greatly in us and will “never leave us or forsake us.”  Nothing can separate us from His love for us; “not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness or the sword.”  Take comfort in knowing that at this time that we are unable to meet together as we are accustomed to does not mean we are separated in any way from God’s love or presence.  Paul adds to the list as he includes that “neither death nor life, nor angels or principalities nor powers, nor things present not things to come, nor height nor depth, not any other created thing, can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

            In this time of uncertainty, hold tightly to these words that can bring hope in a time of trouble.  Look at the many times in the scriptures that God was true to His Word and never failed those who were following Him.  Joshua, David and Paul all have testified that God will not fail you and nothing can separate you from His love.  Take time to look back in your life and make a list of the many times He has come through for you and encourage those around you to do the same.  Trust Him to make a powerful testimony out of this time for all of us.

            We are better together even if we are unable to be physically together.  Our fellowship of the Lord’s church isn't about the building, but it is about us.  Be in prayer for one another and be ready to help at every opportunity.  God bless you all and I long to see your smiling faces again soon.

 

Heavenly Father, help us to trust You more and to rely on Your strength, not our own.