Our Journey during COVID-19

We have all been affected by COVID-19 in one way or another. How sad it is that so many have become sick and/or lost their lives. I received a text from a former parishioner on yesterday who now lives in Texas with the grim news that his brother had just passed from the virus and that he and his wife had been sick for two weeks and, his son also just tested positive. The pain is real for so many.

The journey Betty and I have, for the most part, has been one of quietness causing us to be at home more than we have in recent years, with very little travel and only brief visits to the grocery store, even sometimes ordering online for curbside pickup.

Why has this time been so important to me?

During this time of quietness, I have been very introspective and listened closely to what God might be saying to me and us. I’m an online professor at two universities and I have been quite busy with schoolwork and building strong academic and spiritual relationships with students all over the country. However, the thing that I have cherished the most is rising early every morning (between 4:30 and 6 AM), brewing our Joe Beans coffee and heading to my screen porch, with a blank sheet of paper, a receptive mind, and a willingness to listen to what God may be saying to me. You can only hear God’s voice when the busyness and noise that interferes are quieted. Those early hours are quiet. I can concentrate while reading what He says and praying over people that I love very much and for our country.

I’d like to say confidently...  

·       God has a plan and destiny for my life.  

·       God has a plan and a destiny for this nation.  

·       God has a plan and a destiny for this world.

·       I’m trusting His plan.

·       His plan is beyond the Democrats, Republicans, the CDC or any well-known physician.

 I’m not ringing my hands in fear and pacing the floor wondering what might happen. Please also know that Betty and I do everything we can to be safe then leave the rest to Him. I know that God loves me, cares for me, protects me, my present and future is secure.

I’m reminded of God’s Word...

II Cor. 4:18 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;

As COVID-19, national unrest and political division divides our country and as Satan draws his knife and points it to us for destruction, I repeat the words of the song writer, I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies. My hope and trust are in Him.

I will continue to rise early, spend time in His presence, pray for loved ones, this country and rejoice in my security. One good thing that I’m thankful for, this virus has caused me to stop, reflect and listen.