West Park Baptist Church

Loving God, Loving People, Impacting the World

pandemic

Stand for Your Marriage

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By Tom Larson

The worldwide pandemic we are currently experiencing has been the cause of much stress and hardship for many families. Husbands and wives in troubled marriages will likely tell you the federal, state, and local directives regarding stay at home orders have served to heighten and exacerbate the already existing tensions found in their broken homes. For some, the increased conflict and friction has instilled a strong resolve to abandon the marriage covenant, and pursue a path that leads to liberation and greater personal happiness. But is a path that embraces divorce one that Bible believing Christians should willingly chase after? The answer to this question, and so many others can be found in Scripture. All we need to do is be open to what God’s Word is plainly telling us.

Matthew 19:4-6 reads, He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

When Jesus told the hypocritical Pharisees that God joined husbands and wives together, He did not suggest marriages stay intact only for as long as things were working. Nor did He offer a way out of the marriage covenant if one or both spouses felt happiness and fulfillment was no longer in reach. On the contrary, our Lord declared separation should not occur. In other words, don’t do it.

Through the years however, society and culture has gone to great lengths to minimize and marginalize the importance of holding true to one’s marriage vows. Unfortunately, much of this way of thinking has crept into our churches. No-fault divorces are not all that uncommon among professing Christians, and attitudes concerning marriage and divorce have become almost identical to those held by non-believers and secular society.

But if your heart truly yearns to be in line with God’s will, and you desire to honor the Lord and bring glory to His name, even in the midst of the volatile storm that may now define your marriage, I strongly urge you to focus your eyes upon Jesus, and to follow the example He demonstrated while ministering here on this earth. Christ never abandoned his bride. Up until his dying breath, He was forgiving and loving. Despite our rebellious, stubborn, and sinful behavior, He always remains right there, never leaving or forsaking us. This is the example we are called to follow.

For many years, I lived the life of a Christian husband and father in name only. I chased after worldly pleasures to satisfy my own flesh. In the end, the environment this behavior cultivated in my own home, led to the destruction of my marriage. Unbeknownst to me at the time of my separation and divorce, God was working to remake me into His image. This also was the case for my precious wife. For us, the tribulation and destruction the Lord allowed to be brought into our lives, became a way to direct our hearts, minds and souls back to Himself. In His perfect timing, true reconciliation and restoration of our marriage occurred. Praise be to God for the discipline He exerts over His children! Although we may not like it at the time, it is for our own good and benefit that the refining fires of correction are brought upon us.

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12:11

God indeed works in wondrous ways, but the lesson we should all learn as it relates to suffering, is in the tremendous opportunity it presents for transformational growth to occur. When these storms come, do not seek to pin blame on others, or wallow in self pity. Instead, allow the Holy Spirit to convict your soul and bring your thoughts and desires back into alignment with God’s will, rather than your own.

You may be one of those individuals who is now struggling with your marriage. Perhaps your spouse has left, or you are in the beginning stages of the divorce process. In either case, as someone who experienced the miracle of marriage restoration, I can say without a doubt, no circumstance or situation is too difficult for God. The key for believers is to trust in faith and wait for the Lord to do what only He can. Humble yourself and submit to His will daily. Lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge His Word, and you will be guided alongside the path that brings honor and glory to Him. The Pastors and Biblical counseling leaders at West Park are committed to helping you grow in your faith. If you are in need of guidance and counsel to help you navigate the storms currently being faced, please do not hesitate to reach out.

The Lord has a special plan for you, your family, and your marriage. Rather than allowing our present circumstances to shape and determine where our relationships lead, take charge through the empowering of the Holy Spirit and allow transformational change and godliness to chart your course as you head into these turbulent waters.

May God Bless.

Tom Larson

Purposed Marriage

http://www.purposedmarriage.org

 

Local Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 2

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“Don’t Go There!” by Sam Polson

It has been a long time since my “glory days’ as an athlete … not that there was ever that much glory in any of my days in athletics! But one thing I did learn from those days that has helped me many times over the years is that it is the lines on the field or on the court that make the game understandable, measurable and enjoyable. Playing within the lines kept the competition from turning into chaos. The Bible is very clear that as we draw closer to the end of the age the chaos in the culture will increase. Paul said, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.” (II Timothy 3:1) In the verses that follow, Paul describes those days as filled with a spirit of self-indulgence and that this self-focused and self-absorbed philosophy of life will contaminate the church with teachings that are devoid of a focus on the gospel and on godly living. In fact, the greatest danger to the church will be a drift from the essential and timeless principles that are Savior-focused and Scripture-focused to man-centered and meaningless discussions that not only do not promote “sound teaching,” (v.3) but also cause believers to “turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (v.4).

What was the essence of Paul’s challenge to Timothy and faithful believers in such a culture of chaos? To summarize, in effect he said, “Don’t go there!” His warning was a personal one, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed…” (II Timothy 3:14). He directed Timothy, those early believers, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he is directing us today back to the fundamental principles (the lines on the field and on the court) of gospel living. My friends, there exists right now a media-driven, social networking pandemic of unhelpful, unedifying and unbiblical discussions that do nothing to promote the cause of Christ. At best, they waste our time and at worst, they weaken our testimony. “Don’t go there!” Let’s resolve to spend much less time on Facebook and much more time with our faces in the Book. When we do participate in social networking, let’s make sure it is a spiritual discerning networking that is not a waste of our precious time and is also worthy of our precious Savior.

 

Global Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 7

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Recently I reached out to friends living in Beijing, China to ask about their experience so far through 10 weeks of quarantine in a city of 21 million. I learned much through the experience they shared, and I’m featuring their perspective in two parts today and tomorrow. Just a note: please remember to pray for China. Pray specifically that the gospel would prevail and reach many in these days. Whenever you hear about China in the media, would you commit to pray?

Perspective from China

To start with, share anything about yourself that would be helpful for us to know your general life and circumstances.

My family and I live in the university district of Beijing, quite near the centre, in an older residential compound with a high proportion of retired people. There are densely packed low-rise apartment blocks from the 1960s and 70s and high-rise blocks from the 2000s all squashed together. We have lived in this general area for almost ten years, studying Mandarin, teaching in universities, and doing postgraduate research into minority groups.

How long have you experienced the effect of the coronavirus in your location?

It was already extremely quiet in Beijing when the effects of the coronavirus began to impinge on us directly, because huge numbers of people had left the city for their hometowns, preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year with their extended families. So, initially, there wasn’t much to notice that was different. But by the end of the third week of January there was enough about it in the media that we had begun to pay more attention, and then our church abruptly suspended its meetings and moved online. My father was planning to visit us just after that, and his airline cancelled all flights to China the day before he was due to come out. That was a big blow. So, it’s now 10 weeks since we really felt anything directly, though we had read about it earlier in January.

If we believe general media reports, China currently has the coronavirus completely under control. Can you provide perspective on what you see on the ground where you live?

Here in Beijing it does seem completely under control. The numbers of patients have been pretty low here, well under a thousand, with only a few deaths in the city. We happened to need to visit two different hospitals for unrelated reasons after the lockdown had begun, and in neither hospital was there any sense of panic. On the contrary, they were practically deserted, as most people were clearly afraid to leave their homes for almost anything, and non-emergency medical procedures were being postponed.

For the last two weeks there has been a gradual increase in the numbers of people out and about, on foot or in vehicles, and in the number of restaurants re-opening. But most other places where people might gather indoors remain closed — schools, campuses, churches, mosques, cinemas, etc. Many people continue to be wary about coming out of their homes except for essential purchases; at the same time, we know of several folk who have returned to Beijing from their hometowns, endured a temporary self-isolation, and then rejoined Beijing life, albeit in this new restricted and cautious sense. Of course, no one can predict what will happen when restrictions are lifted further and the possibility of a new outbreak rears its head.

How have average Chinese citizens responded?

There are many different kinds of average Chinese! But they do have this in common — they all wear masks. That’s the one product that I noticed was briefly in short supply in supermarkets. Since mid-February, however, no shortages have been apparent. And we have never had the sense that any panic buying that might have been happening in the first few weeks ever led to any shelves being actually emptied in the shops.

Those who have to work in lower-paid sectors, especially bus drivers, security guards and the small shop-owners who we all depend on for daily food purchases, have just got on with working — of course, all wearing masks, and sometimes conducting their trade by passing items out through their doors, rather than allowing customers into their narrow shops. Many of those sorts of workers have been prevented from returning to their work in the big cities because they were stuck in their hometowns for Chinese New Year. But these small shops are increasingly opening up again on the streets around us. Delivery drivers and couriers have been doing a roaring trade, since a lot more retail purchasing has been done online in the last two months.

The mobile elderly, who are normally outdoors puttering around residential compounds, have kept this up to a certain degree, though in February and early March even they spent a lot more time inside, and some familiar faces in our neighbourhood have not emerged yet.

Middle class and white collar workers, who tend to have a higher degree of ‘modern anxiety’ even when there is no crisis, have tended to retreat into their high-rise apartments, which they can do relatively painlessly, especially if they are able to work online throughout the lockdown. There has definitely been a lot of fear here, and this has helped people to self-isolate. Even without heavy-handed pressure, lots of people are extremely willing to hide themselves away. We know some families who kept their children inside their apartment for around 8 weeks before finally daring to let them go outside for a walk.

What has been your experience through quarantine?

Praise the Lord we have never felt afraid, or in any real danger either from the virus or from any knock-on effects. Thankfully my teaching job moved online relatively easily, and although it’s much less satisfying for me and the students than proper classroom interaction, we can still have classes and I am still getting paid. At my university even the foreign teachers who are not able to work (because the government won’t allow them to conduct online classes from outside China) are being paid. So, we have benefitted from the ‘social buffers’ that the Chinese government has in place.

Sometimes, however, we have wondered if we were going stir crazy. At one point we had not had face-to-face social interaction with anyone for 22 straight days, and the only people we had seen, fleetingly, were a handful of shopkeepers, and the guards and local neighbourhood volunteers who were at the gates and entrances of our residential compound, checking temperatures and temporary passes.

We have read more news online than has probably been good for us, but as the virus spread we have prayed more for countries that we had never particularly paid much attention to. Our understanding of what counts as responsible citizenship has also gradually changed as new information has become available — we get the feeling that we are still more relaxed than most Chinese people, but more careful than most Westerners (or, at least, than most Westerners were until around a week ago). We have grown more persuaded of the need for serious measures to be taken, and have had to repent of our earlier rather careless attitude. As regards our personal attitude in the face of restrictions, we have, I hope, grown to be more wise and godly.

Most of all we have had to learn to be patient. Some of the rules over personal movement, delivery of packages and entry into other residential areas have been irrational. Thankfully (and also annoyingly) the rules are also enforced slightly flexibly, and change frequently. This can create a problem on Thursday that wasn’t there on Wednesday, and doesn’t seem to make any more sense than the previous rule.

Mandarin is quite a blunt language, especially when spoken by non-native speakers, and it is easy for us to sound angry and indeed to get angry with security guards or the neighbourhood volunteers (and it seems like it’s the naturally bossy and officious people who sign up for that job!) when faced with minor restrictions or hold-ups in our walking around. Entering the compound of the one family we have gone to visit in the last 6 weeks brings a new challenge almost every time we go there! Slowly, we are learning to be sanctified through this process, though it is frightening how close sin is lurking at the door at times of stress or inconvenience.

[End of Part 1. Please check the blog tomorrow for Part 2 where we’ll get perspective on how Chinese believers have responded to Covid-19 and lessons we can personalize from Chinese believers’ experience here in the U.S.A.]

Global Perspective on Coronavirus – Pt 5

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It’s been a great week getting a Global Perspective on how God is working mightily through the covid-19 pandemic. Today Fotis shares from his perspective in Greece. Over there the weather has been beautiful, and the birds are singing. Perhaps you’ve heard birdsong in your neck of the woods recently too. What can we learn from them?

Nothing Has Changed

Today in our staff meeting George R. shared with us about the following wonderful picture of some birds he saw when he woke up this morning outside of his bedroom window.

The first thought that came to his mind was: “Nothing has changed for them…”

And the deeper truth is nothing has changed for us either! The world has almost turned upside down, the public traffic is almost forbidden, the airlines have closed down, the various governments have taken severe measures for handling the coronavirus 19. But for us as believers in Christ nothing has really changed.

We keep praying and trusting Him for our protection and our provision.

We may not be able to meet face-to-face, but we keep having the precious fellowship with other believers (thank God for the technology…) sharing God’s promises, stories of comfort, Bible verses and prayer requests.

We keep serving the needs of people around us, and try to be people of hope in a very panicked and sometimes hopeless feeling environment.

Greece, as a whole country, took very severe isolation measurements at very early stage in this health crisis in order to minimize the losses during this global pandemic. All stores are closed and only the grocery stores along with the pharmacies and banks are still open to the public. Most companies have asked their associates to work from home, and our cities look more like ghost towns.

Our evangelical community had declared a national-wide day of fasting and prayer last week which took place on internet with participation of people from the entire country. One good result of this challenge was the unity of God’s people and the willingness to stand next to each other. We plan to repeat it every two weeks!

God has taught us to live our daily lives satisfied in His presence and not in the programs we may be doing for Him.  This time of solitude has reminded us to evaluate our priorities, to appreciate our relationships with other believers, to increase our fellowship with family members, to understand that we are not the epicenter of the universe and trust our Lord in everything He has in store for us.

We have people who have been sick among us, we see the news of people dying with great concern and prayer, and we reach out to help our neighbors in the best way possible. In the middle of this whole process, though, it seems we have regained something we had lost…we gained back our humanity!

It is true that nothing has changed for the sparrows singing every morning in our gardens in the biblical cities of Athens, Corinth, Thessaloniki, Philipi, Veria or anywhere all over our beautiful country, but in the midst of this we become every day more like the sparrows…recognizing finally our complete and total dependence on Him. This may be the greatest blessing we may get from this pandemic crisis…to trust more and more our all Mighty God exactly like the little sparrows.

Fotis R.

 

Daily Dose of Faith (March 27)

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Repentance.

In our churches today we’ve perhaps fallen out of that practice more than any other personal and corporate act of worship. We do well singing powerful anthems. We give out of our plenty. We prioritize rightly the Word of God preached. But one area this pandemic is revealing to our church and churches across the globe is the need to repent.

I was encouraged by an article recently that models for us what repentance to God looks like.

A Prayer in the Midst of the Pandemic

As the author of the prayer in that blog post writes, “We don’t need you now more than ever, because there has never been a time when we have not fully needed you, but perhaps we are now more in tune with and aware of our great need for you, and our lack of control. We look to you. We truly have no other place to look.”

And on the subject of learning to repent and express our faith anew to God, I recommend one book so often to others that I want to recommend it here.

Prone to Wander: Prayers of Confession and Celebration

Among many recommendations, Pastor Bryan Chappell says about the book, “Confessing our sins might seem like a gloomy business—God already knows about them, so what’s the point of dwelling on failure? But confession is more celebratory than we think. It does not simply remind us of our guilt, but points us to our great Savior, who has atoned for us and lovingly pursues us despite our wandering.”

Daily Dose of Faith

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So many excellent resources are coming out each new day as we experience the effects of Covid-19 all around us. I want to round up as many of those as possible to ensure we each get a daily dose of biblical hope, faith and love in these fearful times.

Tabletalk Magazine

First up is Tabletalk Magazine from Ligonier ministries. In God’s providence, as Pastor Sam talked about last Sunday, the editors of Tabletalk’s monthly magazine planned for the March edition to focus on “Fear.” With articles like “Fear of a Changing World,” “Fear of Being Alone,” and “Fear of Dying,” this month’s edition of Tabletalk ministers practical spiritual care to fearful people. And it’s good to read every month, even subscribe to it. My wife and I have enjoyed this monthly magazine for about a year. Pastor Al Cage has benefited from it since 1995!

How to make the most of lockdown tips from Christians in Italy

Second link today features perspectives from a Christian family of 6 navigating the national lockdown in Italy. As the author notes, “We are God’s people in this city. We have the message of hope this city needs. We need to be engaging one another, encouraging one another, and preparing one another to be the testimony God has called us to be in this storm. This lockdown has highlighted the importance of community for us all.”

Right Now Media

Finally, why not right now take advantage of Rightnow Media? Rightnow Media is one of the leading ministries featuring biblical teaching and edifying media through videos that can be played on your home Roku, smartphone or personal computer or tablet. Best of all, it’s a ministry offered for free from West Park Baptist Church! Click to sign up today.

Global Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 3

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Today we hear from Jennifer Mee. Jennifer shares her perspective on 14 days of quarantine in the same house as, but isolated from, her husband and kids. How does she manage? Keep reading to learn from Jen’s perspective.

Unexpected Blessings of Quarantine

Last week I was tired. I love our ministry and all that it involves, but I honestly had a day where I weepingly asked God between big gasps of air, “How?” I know it’s in His strength, not mine…

I know that His strength is made perfect in my weakness, but for real! I remember thinking His strength must be getting really perfect because I’m all weak over here! Up to the last minute of packing, I was organizing lesson plans for the english class my husband would substitute for me and giving instructions for the homeschool days I would miss. My husband and kids dropped me off at the airport early Thursday morning with only a slight niggling inkling of the huge storm that loomed over us.

I loved every minute of the weekend conference. The rush of walking into a huge conference room filled with 6,000 women worshipping Jesus and hungering for the word! The fun of going to the bathroom (mom of three kids) by myself! Being able to stand and chat with friends I hadn’t seen in 14 or 15 years! Being blessed with the immense privilege of praying alongside women who thirsted for Jesus, for forgiveness, for assurance, for freedom from guilt… It was ALL so exhilarating! And sleep? Who needs sleep in a weekend like that? And there was coffee too! I felt SO refreshed.

Then came Sunday. I attended a local church service with a friend who would take me to the airport. The service was subdued and a local doctor addressed the congregation (and was livestreamed) with advice and precautions concerning the current virus. I think that was the first moment that I realized, something happened while I’ve been gone! In just three days of less internet connection, the world epidemic exploded in North and South America. The airport was nearly empty, the plane was 3/4 full. The atmosphere was somber as the flight attendant told some people seated near me that Colombia was closing its borders at midnight and if we didn’t land before then, we might tank up and turn back around.

Thankfully, we landed at 11:30, and Colombia did allow citizens and residents (of which I am one) in for the next few days. The president asked all persons entering the country to observe personal isolation and quarantine for 14 days upon entry. So I didn’t get to hug my kids. I didn’t get to kiss my husband. We set up a plan to avoid contact in the house knowing that I could be carrying the virus for up to 14 days without symptoms.

Did I mention that during that conference, I was in contact with SO many women? We were all blessed by the messages, under conviction and crying! As I prayed with one woman in particular, I remember kneeling over her as she sobbed uncontrollably. As I prayed into her ear, I felt her tears on my hands. As I beckoned another volunteer to come pray for this lady as well, I remember feeling her tears splash onto my shoulders and arms as well… So I was definitely “exposed.” But gloriously so!

My first thoughts upon entering isolation were, “What about homeschool? What about all the things I need to do? What about…?” And almost instantly I remembered the stack of new books I had just purchased at the conference, the Bible study I wanted to start and last week’s feeling of exhaustion. And I felt peace.

So this week, God has answered my anxious, gasping prayer of last week in such an unexpected way. Yes, I came back from the conference in Mexico, barely sliding under the door of the closing borders, so to speak, renewed and exhilarated after being “on the mountain with God.” But instead of jumping back into ministry and the whirlwind of missionary life, I have an obligatory rest. It’s like God said, “Sit down.” So I sat.

I have time to reflect and process the things I heard and learned in the conference. I have time to pray (so much time to pray) for the many friends and family (the whole world really) affected by this pandemic. I have time to just be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

And I am so grateful every day that I wake up without symptoms, for a warm, dry house to be quarantined in, for hot water to wash in, for the food in our pantry, for the safety in our neighborhood, for the love and health of friends I am chatting with, for internet that has reunited me with friends because of this virus, for internet that has enabled me to continue discipleships with girls and teaching English classes, for music and games and crafts that keep my children happily distracted from the world’s troubles.

And I pray that if the day comes that I wake up with symptoms, I will continue to be grateful for all of those same things. And if I make it through the 14 days without symptoms, my plan is to continue practicing social distancing and wise precautions for as long as government and CDC recommends it… but after these 14 days, I will hug and kiss my kids so gratefully, I will play with them on the floor and color and paint with them. I will read books with them on my lap and snuggle with them to watch a movie on the couch. And I will kiss my husband until we almost can’t breathe. Because those are the things I miss the most.

So as I continue to spend time in this God-ordained rest, I feel like it’s a prolonged visit on the mountain with Him. I want to soak up every minute of this blessing! And my biggest prayer is that when I come down off the mountain, I will look and smell a little bit more like Christ. That His strength will be made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). That others will see HIM.

2 Corinthians 2:15 – “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

March 20, 2020

Jennifer Mee

Global Perspectives on Coronavirus – Pt 2

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Tony takes time (because he’s got a lot of it on his hands right now) to help us use our time in quarantine well. Best of all, the contagion of the Covid-19 virus isn’t the only contagion going around right now. Read on to find out more…

A Time to Trust God

Do you know what it’s like when your phone wakes you in the middle of the night, when you’re in a strange bed, in a hotel room, after 24 hours of travel, several time zones away from home, in Madrid? No? I didn’t either until it happened to me at 2:30am on March 12.

Joy, my wife, said over the phone, “The president just announced no more flights from Europe. I thought you’d want to know sooner rather than later.”

Wow! That was quite a wake-up call! I was traveling in Spain on a tour with my father and my son Teddy. We had arrived in Madrid the previous afternoon. During those first minutes my mind raced through what ifs, what abouts, and worst-case scenarios. A film festival of disaster movies started to take over my brain. Then we stopped and prayed. My focus changed, and God moved into the picture. I went back to sleep. I felt confident that God would provide a path home and would guard our health and safety, or he would have a good reason not to do so.

We learned more details about the restrictions in a few hours. The situation wasn’t as dire as we thought at first. During the next two days, we had the privilege of touring Madrid, Córdoba, and Sevilla, and then Spain’s government started going into lock-down. By Saturday we had tickets to JFK. On Sunday we were on our way home. Monday night my son and I were back in Tennessee sleeping in our own beds.

As we stepped off the plane at JFK airport in New York, we were greeted by people in protective gear. One of them took the form I had filled out about my state of health and our itinerary in Europe. A young man scanned my temperature, and a woman handed me an instruction card. “Stay home for 14 days. Take your temperature twice a day. Call your doctor if you feel sick.” So that’s what we’ve been doing. We show no symptoms seven days later. God is good!

Psalm 40 has come to my mind multiple times over the past several days.

  1. I waited patiently for the Lord (v. 1). When you’re waiting on God, you’re not wasting time. Our waiting should be purposeful and expectant. God is going to do something amazing!
  2. He inclined to me and heard my cry (v. 1). If you only get to make one call, make it to God. He’ll hear your cry. He leans in, listens to your plea, and comes to help.
  3. He drew me up from the pit of destruction,out of the miry bog (v. 2). When you’re up to your ears in mud, feeling hopeless and helpless, raise your hand. God will grab hold and pull you out.
  4. And set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure (v. 2). Faith isn’t built on thin air. When you stand on God’s promises, you’re on solid rock.
  5. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God (v. 3). Sing and praise God. Your spirit will be renewed whether your circumstances improve or not.
  6. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord (v. 3) Your trust in God will be contagious. When fear and insecurity are prevalent, a testimony of confident trust in God will be a beacon of hope.

On Saturday morning March 14, everyone in our tour group was busy trying to make plane reservations. Teddy was on his laptop. After working hard to arrange travel for the three of us, he helped others. He made a great impression on people. Our tour guide said, “He restores my hope for young people.” That made me happy. I think it pleased his heavenly Father too.

I was sitting off by myself on a hotel luggage cart, with head bowed and eyes closed. “Are you sick?” asked one of the other travelers, probably worried that I’d caught the virus.

“No,” I replied, “I’m praying.”

“Oh! Then say a prayer for me!” he laughed.

I did.

Like most people, I have a hard time accepting when things happen that I don’t control. When I stop and think about it, I realize that nearly every variable circumstance is beyond my control. I want to think that I’m analyzing, planning, and acting in charge, but in truth I’m wholly dependent on the sovereign God who loves me more than I can imagine. He works all things for my good and for his glory. Why do I often struggle against his will and doubt his good intentions?

I don’t know when this will all be over or how it will turn out, but I’m blessed to be trusting the God who does.

Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie!
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told.

(Psalm 40:4-5)