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Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional

March 18, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

"For Such A Time As This"

Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church Members and Friends,

Hope this finds you well on this Wednesday, March 18.

Things continue to happen in the world, and I am sure things are happening in your household even as you receive this message. The Coronavirus has now come on our doorstep with a reported case in Lancaster County. The stock market is dropping. Many businesses are closed. Kids of all ages are out of school. Travel has been curtailed. Large gathering events are either postponed or cancelled. Supermarkets are out of certain items. People are out of work. I am willing to bet there is a prevailing feeling from many who are thinking, “What will be next?” “When will it end?” “How am I going to make it?” I don’t know the answer to that. Unfortunately, Princeton Seminary did not give me x-ray eyes to see into the future. And, they did not outfit me with a magic wand to wave over the situation and make it all better. On the other hand, I am not sure that would be the best thing, because then I would only have confidence and reliance on me, — and not a faith and dependence upon God.

And that is why we all need the message and truth of God’s word. The Bible is our ultimate source of hope and peace, especially in these uncertain times. And the verse that I am sharing with you today is from II Timothy 1:7. The Apostle Paul wrote, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

At first glance, this is one of those verses where we might be tempted to label Paul as Captain Obvious. But, when we dig a little deeper, we find these words to be rich in their height, width, depth, and breath of life. Isn’t wonderful to know that fear is a man-made emotion? God isn’t interested in having us be constantly shaking like weeping willows in the wind, but in a serenity that God is in control. He is on the throne, and all of the circumstances of life yield to His authority. That’s not easy for us to do. It is hard for us to admit that we don’t understand what is happening, or what will happen next, and the idea of relinquishing control to God is not something that we are willing to readily accept. And yet, it is great that God has outfitted us with His power, His love, and His wisdom to guide us through these troubling times, even as we surrender our will to His.

One of the greatest theologians of the 20th century was a man by the name of Reinhold Niebuhr. He wrote volumes of brilliant theology, with the irony being that he is probably best know for a little prayer that he wrote spontaneously while at a church one Sunday where he was the guest preacher. Someone walked up to him and said, “Dr. Niebuhr, would you be willing to say a prayer in the worship service.” He didn’t panic. He took the bulletin, turned it over and jotted down some words on the back which have become, with the exception of the Lord’s Prayer, the most popular prayer in the world today. Many of you have this prayer on your refrigerator at home, or hanging on a wall in your den. It’s called “The Serenity Prayer.” But here’s what’s important. You probably only have half of the Serenity Prayer on your refrigerator. The real power of the Serenity Prayer is the second half of that prayer that most of us don’t have and don’t know. Reinhold Niebuhr brilliantly connected serenity with surrender. It is only through surrender that we truly reach serenity.

And so, I will close this devotional with the Serenity Prayer.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

And then there is this important part of the prayer.

“Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.”

And let me punctuate the prayer by adding, “In the holy name and power of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.”