March 26, 2020

“Feeling Anxious…”

I’m curious how anxious everyone’s been feeling with everything that’s been going on.  I suspect this has been stretching everyone in ways we might not always want to be stretched in. 

I’ve been trying to figure out what doing church from home looks like.  I’ve been reading all kinds of e-mails and social media postings, I’ve watched a few churches service that have been live streamed to see what others have been doing, I even learned how to do a Zoom meeting online.  But there was a time yesterday, when it suddenly felt like it was all too much.  I realized I was feeling overwhelmed and I had to shut it all off and just be still. 

The words Aaron shared a couple of weeks ago at the start of our last service together came to my mind.  “Be still and know that I am God.”  That’s exactly what I had to do.  I had to just be still for a bit and remember that God still has all of this in His hand.  I needed to rest in His presence.

Those words, “Be still and know”, come from Psalm 46.  It’s a Psalm that offers incredible comfort in times like this.  In Psalm 46, the world of the Psalmist is collapsing.  It talks about the earth giving way, the seas crashing, the mountains themselves being shaken and falling into the sea.   It mentions nations being in uproar, kingdoms falling, the earth melting away.  And yet, even with everything it describes, it is a Psalm of comfort.  It begins and ends with a reminder that our God is with us through it all. It begins like this, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  and it ends with the words, “The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.”  And then, in verse 10, there’s the reminder to be still and know that God is still God.  That He is still on the throne…that He’s still in control.  And nothing can ever change that.

I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded of that truth sometimes…especially lately. 

The Psalm is really an invitation to us to be still, even in the middle of the storm. It’s an invitation to bring all of our anxieties and fears and frustrations to Him…and find rest. 

I wonder how you are doing at that?  It’s not always easy.  Especially with all the news flying around and all the restrictions that are in place and the many ways they are affecting our lives.  I know I’m starting to feel that isolation.  Sara and I would love invite you over for supper, or to go out to your places.  But we can’t.  

I’m not sure what you’ve been doing to help manage the feelings that may have been swirling around in your heart lately.  I’ve gone for a few walks.  Every day after lunch, I’ve been taking the girls outside for lunch recess.  We’ve started singing a few songs after breakfast.  We’re trying to get some exercise in the evenings.  These are all good things, but as good as they are, there’s something else that is far more important.  We need to find our rest in Him.

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD Almighty is with us;  the God of Jacob is our fortress.”       Psalm 46:10,11