Years ago my mom said, “I’m not where I was in my faith 5 years ago, and I know in 5 years I won’t be where I am now.” There isn’t a 5 year span of time in life that I think I would have been able to script. Now I’m a big dreamer, and I couldn’t have dreamed the good that has happened in my life as I try and follow Jesus.
I’ve been saying for years, we don’t know what the future will hold, but we know God, through the Holy Spirit will be with us. Now I’m not even thinking about 5 years, I’m thinking about tomorrow, next week. And there is the potential for all of this to bring an incredible amount of stress to all of us.
I want to read for you something Jesus says. Matt 7:25-34
I have one strong belief. If I cling to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will direct my steps, meet my needs (and we are starting to discover the difference between needs and wants). God will overcome every obstacle in my life if I submit to God’s leadership. He’ll heal every disease and all my brokenness, until I receive the finally healing of being taken home to heaven in glory.
Listen to the stories of people in the great depression, the rationing through WW2, so many other major crises... We will get through this too.
Hopefully we can learn more about walking with God, more about being the church, the living body of Christ, the community of faith, the people of God. We will also get a good idea of those things that we hold most dear, and the things that are essential to our life and faith. Look around you at how God provides. Think through your own personal history, and the history of those you know, let alone the larger world and the stories of God and his people through the Bible. See the goodness and provision of God. Trust in God. Take a breath. Be at peace. Love one another, love yourself and love God.