“Be Anxious for Nothing”
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Psychologists say that when you boil it all down, there are 4 basic feelings, and they are easy to remember, because three of them rhyme. They are “sad,” “mad,” “glad,” -- and then there is “anxious.” My guess is that many of you are experiencing all these feelings in in dealing with the coronavirus. You probably even find yourself bouncing from one to the other in any given day, depending on your job status, travel, family, and new information coming out that launches us into new ways of living and doing.
I have learned more about live-streaming, video chat conferences, and online meetings then I ever thought I would have to know, but it has proved to be important and beneficial for our congregation. I feel a responsibility, even burden to try and not have any person slip through the cracks during this time. And to be honest, it has left me at times, more than any other feeling, -- anxious.
What has helped me is to know that the God’s antidote to anxiety is that of peace. The word Jesus used for peace is the word “Shalom.” And shalom means “an overall state of well-being, wholeness and completion.” Right now, we are concerned about the coronavirus coming into our homes like an unwelcomed intruder. It has been an incredible disruption to our normal lives, and many are feeling the weight financially, physically, spiritually, relationally, and emotionally,
Is this the worst thing you have ever experienced in your life? It might be, but it may not be. If it isn’t, then perhaps you can bring perspective to those who think the sky is falling and the world is coming to an end, so that they can experience a peace in Jesus Christ as well. I have no idea when this is all going to end, but I know that each day brings us one day closer to the end of it.
The late Brooklyn Dodger, catcher Roy Campanella, had his career cut short in an automobile accident which left him as a quadriplegic. As Roy Campanella made countless trips to the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in New York City, there was a plaque that hung in the reception room that I will have serve as my closing prayer.
“I asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey ... I asked for health, that I might do great things. I was given infirmity, that I might do better things ... I asked for riches, that I might be happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise ... I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God ... I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life. I was given life, that I might enjoy all things ... I got nothing I asked for -- but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among men, most richly blessed!”
May all of you continue to be richly blessed in these unusual days and times.
