Peace in the Midst of a Pandemic
Just over a year ago I retired as the pastor of FBC Vilonia, boy did I pick the year. 2020 is cer-tainly not a year that any of us is likely to forget. The year of a “pandemic” – comes from two Greek words – “pan” meaning all and “demo” meaning “people.” The first day of spring (March 2020) dawned with COVID-19 confirmed to be present in 157 countries, with suspected cases in 4 more. By April 15 the number of countries had jumped to 189 with 2,023,663 confirmed cases and 132,276 deaths worldwide. COVID-19 is present in every country in the Western hemisphere, every country in Europe, in Australia, and in almost every country in Asia and Africa. The only continent that is COVID-19 free is Antarctica. It has infected the poor and the rich, the famous and the obscure, the homeless and even the President of the United States. All of these numbers are rapidly rising.
If you have been feeling anxious this year, you’re not alone. Not surprisingly a recent study published in Journal of Internal Medicine found all the events of 2020 may actually have caused a record spike in anxiety.
In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the world in just a matter of weeks. Supermarkets are running low on supplies, for the first time in my lifetime, the shelves in stores looks like what I have seen in third world countries. I find a little weird that what American seem to have horded was toilet paper.
It is a little like what happen when the weather forecast calls for snow, “What do people rush out to buy?” Milk and Bread. Right.
Stock markets have fluctuated wildly! We are encouraged to “stay home and stay safe,” schools, churches, and businesses are forced to create “social distance”; or even to remain closed. we are required by law to wear face masks in public places, all to hopefully prevent the spread of disease. Behind closed doors of our homes, many people feel a mixture of emotions: worry, fear, doubt, skepticism, frustration, isolation, and uncertainty.
So how are Christians to respond to a world in the midst of a pandemic? First, we need to recognize that we are not the first generation of believers to face that question. It is the not the first pandemic nor the deadliest. Less than 150 years after Christ’s resurrection a devastating pandemic (the Galen pandemic -165-180 A.D.) swept across the Roman Empire, one of a series of plagues that killed millions. There have been numerous pandemics throughout history; the Black Death of the 14th century, Small Pox, Spanish Flu (1918-19), HIV/AIDS, Hong Cong Flu (1968-70) to name just a few.
Not only are we in the midst of a world-wide pandemic but a hotly contested national election. But we should not look to any political party to save us. We dare not identify our faith with any political party. Government cannot save us.
If this year has taught us anything as Christians it is that this world may not be as stable as we once thought. Like many westerner’s we crave comfort. If I am sick, I take medicine, if I am hungry I eat, if I am thirsty I turn on the faucet. And so, we have grown accustomed to comfort. We not only expect it: we demand it. And when God throws a wrench into our lives, like a pandemic that disrupts the way we live – we don’t handle it too well. We get frustrated, we grow anxious, we may even panic. We as modern-day American Christians are not good at uncomfortable.
Look to God’s Word on how to have peace
First, Perfect Peace comes from a Settled mind.
The prophet Isaiah wrote that God promised his people, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isaiah 26:3) But please understand this promised peace is not a universal promise to just anyone. We must experience peace with God before we can experience the peace of God. The only way you can have the peace of God is to have peace with God. Individuals gain peace with God when they place their faith in Christ as their personal Savior (Romans 5:1). And we have the inner quiet peace of God when we walk daily with him.
The peace of God is the sense of moment by moment joy which we have as we trust our Heavenly father in the midst of problems of life. The peace of God is not something you can manufacture, buy or earn. It is a result of a heart that is totally surrendered to God. The Apostle Paul encourages believers in Philippians 4:6-7. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which sur-passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
What does this mean? The word “guard” was a military term that described a Roman soldier holding his weapon, walking back and forth in front of an open gate so that no one could enter. Paul is saying that this is how God will guard your hearts and minds and give you His peace. Our Heavenly Father who delights to give good gifts to His children, will guard your heart against what-ever is troubling it. He will not allow any menacing worry to enter. He guards our Hearts because they are susceptible to wrong feelings and He guards our Minds because they are susceptible to wrong thinking.
When we transfer all our troubles to God through prayer and attain His peace, it becomes obvious to others? Paul says that it will “surpass all understanding.” People simply will not be able to comprehend the peace that the believer can model in times of crisis.
Peter has advice to offer us today in 1 Peter 4; verse six and seven he says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Peter is probably quoting from Psalm 55:32 which says, “Cast your burden (releasing the weight of it) upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (made to slip, fall or fail).”
“Cast All Your Are Upon Him” The Lord invites us to cast all our cares upon Him. Notice first that this is all encompassing. Peter’s use of the word “all” is very interesting. He encourages us to cast all our cares upon Him. For some reason, contemporary Christians in their some sort of pseudo-sophisticated thinking have worked out some sort of a system regarding what kind of problems they bring to the Lord. We say things like, “I don’t bother God with my small problems. I only bring the big ones to Him.” The truth of course is that all your problems are small ones to the God of the Universe!
Prayer is the Christian’s alternative to worry. Back in Phil. 4:6-7, the Apostle Paul said, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;(7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We must train ourselves to redirect the energy that has been used to worry, which is destructive, to prayer, which is constructive. Write down the things that are worrying you and turn it into a prayer list!
When Peter said in the last words of verse seven, “He cares for you” he touch on a secret fear that we hardly ever talk about, the fear that some-how God really does care about us. When we get right down to it we are not quite sure about God. We are not sure about whether He really cares what happens to me. In the story of Martha and Mary recorded in Luke 10. Jesus and his followers are guests in the home of Martha and Mary. Mary is sitting at the feet of the master soaking up every word he spoke. But Martha concerned with being a good host is beside herself with worry about providing for the needs of their guests. Finally, her feelings boil over and she explodes in anger and she says to the Lord in Luke 10:40, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? There-fore tell her to help me.” I want you to focus on the first words of her statement for a moment, “LORD DON’T YOU CARE! Haven’t your said or at least thought those exact words? I know I have. “Lord, I’m hurting here. Things are pretty rough right now, Lord don’t you care what it happening to me?” But of course, the answer is that the Lord does care! His reply to Mary provided both a diagnosis of the problem and the solution for Martha’s anxiety, he said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried (merimna) and troubled about many things. (42) But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” The one thing that Jesus spoke of was of course, to fall at his feet and cast our worries and anxiety upon Him. The Phillips translation of 1 Peter 5:7 says,“You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties on him, for you are his personal concern.” The New Living Translation of this verse is, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.” That is good news don’t you think?
There is no person excluded from God’s care, nor is there any aspect of their lives that is excluded from His care and concern. It would be sad to know that God existed but he did not know our needs. But He does know.
It would be deplorable if God knew our needs but did not care, about our circumstances. But God does care!
It would be tragic if God knew our needs but was unable to do anything about them. But God is able.
The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the church at Corinth wrote, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)The word translated “steadfast” (hedraios) means “to be settled or firmly situated.” The words “always abounding” speaks to those believers who would say, “I have served my time, I have done my part, let others do the work now!” Perfect Peace comes from a Settled mind and….
2. Perfect Peace comes from Seeking God.
Whether we recognize it or n0t every crisis is a call to seek God! Sometimes events happen as a wake-up call. Israel was God’s chosen people. But at times in their history they would become very slack in their service to Him. They would presume upon His goodness—sometimes even to the point of being involved in idolatry.
But rather than immediately wiping them out for their disobedience, God would send enough trouble to get their attention. The Apostle Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 10:11, “Now all these things happened to them for examples: and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world have come.”
How do we seek God? 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Perfect Peace comes from Seeking God and…
3. Perfect Peace comes from Trusting God.
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
* Trust in His Presence.
If we are going to trust God we first need t0 know that He is there with us. But that it is not always easy. David in his great 23rd Psalm wrote, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me;” (v. 4) Literally it says. “Moreover, when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death” it emphasizes that is not if , but rather that this is something we will all face in our earthly lives. At the end of the Great Commission given in Matthew 28 Jesus assures his followers, “Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (v. 20) We can trust in God’s presence with us!
*Trust in His Provision.
When you put your faith in Christ, God commissions himself to protect, provide, and care for you. Returning again to Paul letter to the church at Philippi, “God shall supply all you need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19). God always provides for his children, though often it is not in the way we expect or hope. The challenge is for us to see his provision and care, even when it is different than we expect.
We can trust in God’s Provision for us!
*Trust in His Plan.
All of you are no doubt aware of what Joseph’s brothers did to him by selling him into slavery. It was a terribly cruel thing that Joseph’s brothers did to him, because of jealousy. The intention behind their actions was evil. The suffering that Joseph experienced was real. But God redeemed even that and worked his purposes of salvation. In the end Joseph could say to his brothers, “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” (Gen 50:20)
If a crisis causes people to turn to God and receive eternal life, something exceptionally good has come out of it. We seek the Lord for His mercy, protection, and healing. We can trust in God’s plan!
Conclusion
1. You are always a Witness!
One of the things we must understand is that a lost world is watching. You are a witness for Christ whether you want to or not. I witness individuals almost every time I go out who refuse to wear a mask, some perhaps would even say they are displaying their faith in doing so! But I think they are missing the point. They may believe, “Hey, I could survive the coronavirus. I am willing to take my chances!” But I see it this way, “Yeah, you would survive it, but you may carry it to someone who would not!” It is not all about you. I wear a mask not to protect myself but to protect you!
2. Be careful who you listen to.
Our modern media amplifies anxiety and fear. When it comes to our mainstream media bad news grabs our attention and the media feeds it to us. We are living with unprecedented levels of uncertainty right now. How long will the current restrictions last? When we will be able to see friends and family again? Will the economy recover? How do we keep ourselves and our loved ones safe? When statistics are high, it can cause anxiety. We think that one way we can cope with this anxiety is by seeking as much information as possible, but this too can be harmful. Even a secular psychologist has noted in an article called “Is Watching the news Making your Anxiety Worse?” noted “Staying glued to the news actually increases our anxiety in the long-term because it contributes to the false belief that if we have enough information, we can remain in control. In other words, the more we seek certainty over what will happen in the future, the more anxious we will feel because it is simply not possible to be certain about how long the current coronavirus crisis will last, what the world will look like afterwards, and so on.” [Jackie Bullis, “Is Watching the News Making Your Anxiety Worse?” Anxiety and Depression Association of America., https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/watching-new-making-your-anxiety-worse/tips] When this pandemic ends (and it will end) and this election is settled, we are can be guaran-teed of these basic truths.
Whoever is president, God will still be on His throne.
Jesus will still be King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Bible will still be the answer to man’s needs.
The tomb will still be empty.
Jesus will still be the only way to Heaven.
Prayer will still work, God answers prayers.
The Cross, not the government will still be our salvation.
There will still be room at the Cross.
Jesus will still save anyone who places their faith and trust in Him.
God will still be present with us and He will never forsake us!
Peace in the Midst of a Pandemic
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
1. Perfect Peace comes from a Settled mind. (1 Corinthians 15:58, 1 Peter 4:6-7, Phil. 4:6-7)
2. Perfect Peace comes from Seeking God.
Every crisis is a call to seek God!
1 Corinthians 10:11
2 Chronicles 7:14
3. Perfect Peace comes from Trusting God.
Proverbs 3:5-6
* Trust in His Presence. (Matt 28v. 20)
*Trust in His Provision.
*Trust in His Plan.
Peace in the Midst of a Pandemic
Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
1. Perfect Peace comes from a ______ mind. (1 Corinthians 15:58, 1 Peter 4:6-7, Phil. 4:6-7)
2. Perfect Peace comes from ________ God.
Every ______ is a call to seek God!
1 Corinthians 10:11
2 Chronicles 7:14
3. Perfect Peace comes from ________ God.
Proverbs 3:5-6
* Trust in His __________. (Matt 28:20)
*Trust in His __________.
*Trust in His __________.
