Today was the day. I wondered when the shoe would drop. Who would be the first in my circle of friends and acquaintances to sicken…? Who will be the first in yours?
The dark missive arrived this morning via text to our dinner club. Her 70-something-year-old fun-loving mom contracted the virus and her father who lives on oxygen landed in isolation. Looking for sun and fun, they moved to Florida last year.
Worry and the inability to travel to their side eats at my dear friend. And the news causes me to pause and remember the many Filipino lumpia (spring roll) dinners we enjoyed over the years with her spunky, 4’11-stiletto-heel-wearing mom and quiet, musically gifted dad.
What about you? Are you a bit rattled these days? Or are you calm like a reflecting pool, cool as a cucumber, and collected as a librarian? I have two friends in the hotbed of NYC, and two children in southern California another hotspot.
I’m just going to admit it now. I’m fighting an uphill rattle-battle. I also have two doctor friends working in the trenches, in OKC and Memphis and another dear friend working in a respiratory clinic in Minneapolis. And when I give in to my worrier-side, the opposite of my warrior-side— he whispers, “How in the world are they going to remain immune?”
So here is how I thwart him and don my battle garb. Each day as I flee the lure of the media frenzy, I can only find one true balm for my anxiety. I bury myself in the Psalms.
And as I dive in, for a moment I forget.
And I can breathe.
And I can pray.
And I drink in the trust and honor the writer showed toward God. This Psalm wasn’t attributed to David but echos his sentiments. We can daily live with fear and uncertainty as our world teeters on its foundations, yet like the writer, to survive, we must cling to our God of hope who understands us and will rescue us.
This. Is. War.
We are in a war of the physical, but also of the mental. How are we going to move forward? Where will we pitch our tent? With the camp of fear and worry? Or on the site of faith and peace with a God who is in control? (This means accepting what I cannot understand and often chafe against.)
I want a faith like the Psalmist.
I want to believe in a God who loves me and understands me and gives me hope.
I want to trust even when I can see no end in sight for our trials.
I want to stand firm as the life I have known crumbles around me.
I want to praise a God who commands the heavens and earth with
A whisper.
Or a roar.
The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.
But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.
We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
Psalm 33:13-22 (NLT)
How can I pray for you or your loved ones?