I usually love the blank page, or screen, in this instance. I presume its like a blank canvas to an artist or pile of wood to a builder. The possibilities are just fun to consider. I think anybody could be a writer if they weren’t bothered by the blank page. But sometimes words just escape me. Advice to self: Just write something. Scratch outs and delete buttons are just a part of the process.
It’s under those conditions I write today. The world is in the midst of a global sickness called coronavirus. Those who aren’t sick, fear they are next. This fear sneaks up on me even though I know the truths of Psalm 91. My enemy points to every mild symptom and tells me that it is just the early stages of the inevitable. This is the case even though there is only 1 case of the disease in my county and two in the county next to me. But then again, fear is never rational. It’s that unwelcome guest that creeps in and sets up a bedroom if we don’t pay attention.
So how do we deal with creeping fear?
This is how I fight it: God loves me. That fact restores my faith. His love determines my days. Now from the get go, let me say that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love those who are sick today. No way. Truth be told He loves us all immeasurably. He loves everyone in the world. Let that sink in. Refer to Christianity’s most memorized verse:
“For God SO LOVED THE WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
He loves us….me….you. This is not a provision for the perfect. It’s not “saints only” need apply. God’s love comes from Him, who is love. To prove it, He made the first move to show His adoration for you.
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
How can the unholy be in a relationship with the Holy?
Do you sometime feel like you’re just not the kind God loves. How can you trust Him to take care of you when you’ve not done your part? Because God built the bridge between you. His own perfect son died for your punishment. I’m not sure I can even comprehend that type of love. I remember reading the fictional story of “The Whipping Boy” about a young man whose only job was to take the spankings that the spoiled prince deserved in this make believe kingdom. But in our reality, God’s son took the capital punishment for our sin. We deserved the punishment. He took it. We would have died and spent eternity in the darkness of hell. He died and rose again and sits at the right hand of God making intercession for us. (Romans 8:34) He would say to you today, “I love you.”
What makes me so sure?
That love is not diminished or diminishable. It’s not built on your accomplishments or destroyed by your failures. The Bible tells us in that same chapter (Romans 8) that we literally can’t be separated from His love. Can demons break God’s love for you? Nope. Angels? No. Fears for today or worries about tomorrow? They cannot separate us from His love. Nothing in creation is strong enough to keep us from His love. Look it up. Romans 8:38. He closes the list with this:
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who LOVES US.
Romans 8:39
There is one certainty. God loves you.
So, I walk in sweet peace that God is in charge. As I surrender my life to Him and give Him my heart in return for His enduring love, life is good. I sleep well knowing that God really loves me. I know that nothing will happen that God doesn’t see and as the perfect lover of my soul, my Father walks with me and assures me His arms hold me tight. I’ve never been safer. Those who love me the most couldn’t protect me like He does.
Do trials and hard times come? Sure. We still live on earth. But His presence makes all the difference. Prayer is not a religious exercise that earns the love of God. It is a daughter laying against His knee and telling Him all of her worries and victories. Thankful for most and trusting for the rest. Then like any Father/daughter relationship I sit and listen to what perfect words He will speak to me. It’s not the great thunderous words from heaven, but the still small voice that interrupts my thoughts. When He speaks, it is often a promise from His Word and always a truth given with loving care. Even His correction in my life has been with the deepest love. I will write about that another day.
Be brave. Talk to Him.
I want to close with this. If you don’t have the peace of God in your heart today, ask Him. Don’t think about it. Ask Him. He is real and He wants you to REALLY speak to Him. If He is not your Lord and Savior, He wants to be. Talk to Him. No magic words, just ask Him to forgive you for everything. Remember, that is why He died. Then make a commitment to Him to be God of your life. Now follow Him. Get a Bible (there’s tons online) and find a church. (This coronavirus social distancing thing won’t last forever.) I can’t even tell you how that will change things in your life. His promises to His followers are amazing. His love is like no other.
And to all who love God and yet struggle with creeping fear, I love the words of Paul here as he considers the vastness of Christ’s love for us:
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..”
Ephesians 3:17-19
What a gift to grasp the magnitude of His love. To know He loves us emboldens our faith in Him. It is like children being held by their father during a thunderstorm. The loud booms only cause us to snuggle closer. It is like watching a hair raising action film for the second time. All the danger and action are there but you already know it ends well. To live this life assured of His constant and amazing love, is to live it to its absolute fullest, flying through the air knowing that God stands ready to catch you. As noted in Ephesians, it is truly “His glorious riches” to GRASP His great love.
P.S.
If you made a commitment to follow the Lord, please, please, please let me know. You can send me message on the Write Me Back menu page. I want to pray for you.
