Thursdays are for Guest Devotionals and this Thursdays comes from Dixie Walker. Dixie is a terrific writer. She has written this one specifically in light of the current pandemic and she has entitled it, “Finding Peace in the Scary Times of Life.” Thanks, Dixie!
Don’t you love a good read before bedtime? It’s something that is relaxing and enjoyable for me as well. It often helps bring comfort and perspective to the experiences I’ve encountered throughout my day.
But I noticed something last night as I rummaged through the stack of books on my night table. There was nothing specific to calming my thoughts about living through a worldwide pandemic. Nothing I could crack open where the author gives me 10 steps to follow to get through this thing with ease. Nothing I could highlight and think Yes, this writer has been through this situation, too, and knows exactly how I feel about being cocooned in this house for so long!
For two months I’ve awakened each morning with the dismal thought We’re still in this crisis. It wasn’t a bad dream. Today is just like yesterday and the day before, and the day before that. Ugh, when will it end?!
These kinds of thoughts are daunting, depressing, and utterly demotivating. I often try to roll back over in bed, hoping to forget the unhappiness I feel about the situation we’re in. And although I can’t blink my eyes and have it all return to normal, an inner strength does come about that reminds me that I’m not fighting this thing alone.
That power is the Spirit of the Lord who resides in all believers. While He doesn’t specify the concerns of a pandemic, He does promise us in Romans 8:26-27 to help us when we are filled with so much concern that we don’t even know how to pray:
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
So, with that reminder, the following has become my daily routine that really has helped me get out of bed each morning without looking at the day before me as dismally as I did in the beginning of this crisis.
START THE DAY IN PRAYER. Before climbing from the comfort of my bedsheets, I begin thanking God for everything I can think of—big and small! It’s a known fact that the more grateful we are, the less we’re consumed with our own thoughts of loss or emptiness.
PRAY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. This pandemic is like a huge, invisible monster that seems to change its path every day. And when I’m being chased by a giant of any type—physically or emotionally—I’ve learned the best thing I can do is literally call out to Jesus for help! In 1 Peter 5:7, we read: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” By doing this, my spirit is calmed. I’m reminded that the one true God has already won the victory over this pandemic and all of the other forces of evil we can’t control. We can rest in the Lord’s protection and provision!
TALK ABOUT IT. God gives us family and friends in which to share life, including the good times and the bad. When we experience difficult emotions throughout our days, this is normal. It’s what makes us human. But we can choose to live by faith in the reliability of God rather than the instability of our feelings. There is no shame in talking with a friend (or a counselor) about heightened emotions we’re all facing these days whether those include sadness, fear, anxiety, or hopelessness. Together we can encourage each other to look toward the strength of the Lord and build our daily hope in Him.
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6
Dixie Walker
Hendersonville, Tennessee
Vision 20/20 Reading Plan: Luke 16
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