I had a topic already selected for this week’s blog post, but while sitting through Sunday’s service (yes, I did go…), I felt a strong leading to switch topics after the crazy week we’ve all gone through.  And knowing there is likely much more chaos ahead.

Of course, I’m talking COVID-19.  I’m sure every one of us has been affected by the emergence of this “novel coronavirus” in large and small ways in the past week or so.  Whether it’s frantic trips to Costco or the grocery store, events being cancelled right and left, being bombarded with information at a mind-numbing rate, or any other ways your life has been turned upside down, the end result can be an onslaught of emotions. 

The spectrum ranges from full panic (“I need 150 rolls of toilet paper.”), to dismissiveness (“I’m sure this is just a bunch of media hype.”).

Personally, I’m somewhere in the middle.  I’ve done ZERO hoarding thus far with no plans to engage in that. (I have stocked up for a few weeks of meals.) However, I absolutely believe this is an illness to take seriously, and follow the ever-changing guidelines put forth by people in this field who are a lot smarter than I am.

But I want this post to be primarily about giving you hope.  Just how DO we maintain some level of peace and sanity throughout this crisis?

The best I can do is share with you how I’m dealing with this, and pray that it helps you get your life centered.  I can honestly say I haven’t had one second of panic about this.  And that’s not because I don’t expect things to get worse before they get better. Or because I’m living in la-la land.

It boils down to one word – sovereignty.  OK, two words – GOD’S sovereignty. 

For decades I have trusted that God is absolutely in control of everything that happens in this world.  NOTHING surprises Him.  And everything is used by God for ultimate good.  (See last week’s post.)  I would go so far as to say that my favorite characteristic of God is His sovereignty.  I have camped out there so many times.

Let’s go back a few years to 2013, the year Dale and I moved off our acreage and into town.  The year he suffered through one crisis after another after another.  Which meant, so did I.  The relentless nature of troubles from every direction that year led me to cry out to God on a regular basis. 

And this is what I said to God, “I HATE this.  But I trust You.”  That’s all I had.  But it was enough. 

There was nobody or no-thing I could turn to that possessed one iota of the power that God has.  Why would I look elsewhere?  I felt His presence with me through that year, giving me strength to go through one more set-back.  And He continued to be my all-sufficiency as I watched my husband decline all the way to his death.

And now, almost 2 ½ years later, God is STILL the only one I trust with ANYTHING going on in my life.  He has proven Himself faithful time and time again.  That doesn’t mean He fixed everything per MY specifications.  It means He walks through the trials with me, and shows me in countless ways how much He loves me.

So, this Coronavirus?  Not outside of God’s power.   As much as I try to avoid clichés, there is one I absolutely love for its simplicity, and its truth.  And I think it’s perfect for our current situation.

“I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow.”  It’s enough for me.

Is that enough for you?  This peace, this “letting go” of our desire to be in charge, this ratcheting down of your panic, this submission to God’s power – it’s there for anyone who wants or needs it.

Do you enjoy feelings of panic?  Do you like waking up in the middle of the night because disastrous scenarios are playing through your mind?  Do you want this current crisis to completely consume your life?

Or do you want the “peace that passes all understanding?”  The sense that a sovereign God is in complete control of this universe, and loves each one of his children with a love deeper than we can ever imagine. And that this is all true no matter WHAT happens.

Trust me, that’s a MUCH better place to live.

I don’t have the magic words to make this peace a reality for you.  But God’s Word is overflowing with His promises, so I want to end with a list of some of my favorite texts.  Let the truth of these words wash over you.  Pray that God would help you live under the protection of these promises.

• Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.  1 Chronicles 29:11-12 ESV
• Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.  Psalm 115:3
• “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”  Job 42:2
• Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Proverbs 19:21
• “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”  Jeremiah 32:27
• For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  Colossians 1:16
• Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Lamentations 3:37-38
• The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3
• For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37
• Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
• And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.  Matthew 28:20

I could go on and on!  If you need more, just Google “God’s sovereignty” or any other characteristic you love about God.  You’ll get dozens of scriptures to calm your fears.

So, one final word.  If you’re a Christ-follower, speak into this time of chaos with the hope and peace we have from God to make a positive impact on the world around us.  What a gift that will be!