He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands
Learning To Trust God in the midst of Global Crisis (Day 1)
Day 1: Comfort In Complacency
Weeks before the United States shut its metaphorical doors and closed itself off to the world, life was carrying on as usual. COVID-19 was a foreign disease afflicting countries on the other side of the planet. America had the strongest economy in the world and unemployment was continuing a trend near record lows.
In the Munson household, life carried on as normal too. I focused on my job, Emily focused on the girls, and the most pressing priorities in our world were the purchase of a swing set and planning a birthday party for a one-year-old.
Then, seemingly overnight, we joined most of the country in isolating ourselves within our home, separating ourselves indefinitely from our friends and family. Shortly thereafter, I found out I was furloughed by my employer. Being a single income household, this was really tough news to receive. That Sunday, our church decided to comply with government requests to limit gatherings of more than 10 people.
To be completely honest, our relationship and emotions were tested in those first few days. Our emotions were dominated by worry, fear, and anger — in which anxiety took a strong root. We were navigating unfamiliar waters, and a prevailing sense of uncertainty only led to further frustration and tension. The first night that this all went down, I literally had to shut myself in a storage closet and I fell face down in the darkness. I didn’t know what to do, so I just started praying — words to the effect of, “God, I don’t know what’s happening. I don’t know why it’s happening, but I do know that you are in control. I know you’ll provide for this family. Please take this burden, because I know I cannot carry it on my own.”
…And, then I went to bed — mind-racing & afraid. The proverbial train hadn’t even left the station yet, and we could already see that we were about to embark on one heckuva ride. It’s funny how sometimes God has to shake the entire world just to get your attention — and not just your attention, but the attention of 7.8 billion humans.
Again, being in an unprecedented situation, I had no clue what to do. I turned to the Word hoping to find peace. While I did find comfort in much of the scripture that I read through, the most impactful verse I came across in the first few days was this:
“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Revelations 3:17
Wow! Lord, you don’t pull a punch when you’re trying to make a point!
The verse struck home. We HAD become comfortable. We HAD become complacent. Our priorities were all mixed up, and yet we thought we had all we could need. We had built a foundation on our friends & family — so God separated us from our family. We had become frivolous with our finances — so God took away our income. We had become apathetic in making time for God — so God took away our busy schedules.
I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’ Hosea 10:12
We had a choice to make. We could continue on the path of fear and worry, OR we could pursue God — trusting solely in the power of his Will.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33
How often in our lives do we have the opportunity to completely put ourselves aside? To fully remove ourselves from the picture and let God take center stage. He has become our provider, our protector, our hope, and our joy — taking the roles we should have relinquished from the beginning!
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3–5
In the midst of global crisis, we see our world changing yet we have no way of knowing what the future holds. So, in our fear we withdraw ourselves from the unknown, and do everything within our own power to hold onto our earthly priorities. But God must be our priority; he must be our strength. When the world seems to be falling apart, it is only in God that we find hope. His provision, his hope, is all we need!
This all reminds me of the Israelites so long ago, leaving Egypt where they had been enslaved for 430 years; not knowing where they were going, literally leaving in the middle of the night! The only hope they had was in God, and their journey into the wilderness would test them. And God would provide everything for them — guidance to the promised land, food, water, victory in battle, and even great wealth. God will lead us through this —our role is to remain faithful in his power to bring us through this wilderness and into the “green pastures” beyond this pandemic. We have to let go of the reins and let God guide us, day and night, through these trials.
“The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.” Exodus 13:21–22
My prayer today:
Father God, it is only in your power that we can get through these tough times. We cannot navigate these trials without you. More so, I am grateful for all that you have taught me in this time of struggle. Thank you for showing me that it is you, not I, who is the real provider for my family! Holy Spirit, please fill us with patience and peace. Let our hearts be full of your joy, so that we don’t lose hope in the promise of your Love!
