On St. Patrick’s Day, our county issued a Shelter in Place order due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meant that Karimy, Alec and I would be forced to stay inside except for essential business and outside exercise. Toilet paper, masks and hand sanitizer shortages added to the panic and anxiety we were all trying to fight off. My school district closed and went to online classes including online speech, which was a brand new teaching “opportunity” for me and so many of my colleagues. Then our shelter in place was extended for another month and a few days later, online school was extended through the end of the year. So much unrest, so much change, so much time to think.
Working from home
For sure this has caused me to miss Craig more. Friends and ministry partners have emailed to tell me how Craig has been on their mind, thinking about how he would have been excited for this challenge of providing ministry tools to families at home. What has been on my mind is how he would have made this shelter in place more fun and I definitely would have felt safer with him here. Being isolated from my friends and extended family makes grief worse. Add to that several extenuating situations which make life more difficult, a broken refrigerator, water damage to the house, an engine light on and an ongoing illness in the family.
One morning I was reading in 2 Chronicles 20 and God spoke clearly to me in this story about King Jehoshaphat being up against an insurmountable difficulty. The king received word that three armies had joined together and were coming against them. He responded by calling all the people to fast and come together in prayer. He then prayed to the Lord God, starting with praise and acknowledging His power and past provision. He went on to tell of his part in obeying God and trusting in Him and then placed the problem before the Lord. He cried out for His help and acknowledged his dependence on the Lord.
He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’
“And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”
His cry for help, “O our God, Won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do but are looking to you for help.”
I love this prayer. I can so relate to it. How often have I felt powerless in my own circumstances since Craig passed away? How much more has COVID-19 added to that feeling of powerlessness! I love the honesty, “We do not know what to do, but are looking to you for help.”
I took this prayer to heart and have been daily asking God for deliverance from all of the problems that feel like an attack in my life. Already one of them has been resolved..thank you, Lord! And I am trusting Him to help me with the rest of them.
What would your prayer look like right now if you followed his pattern?
Praise God for His power
Acknowledge His past provision in your life.
Tell your part of obeying God and trusting in Him.
Place the problem before the Lord.
Cry out for His help & acknowledge your dependence on Him.
Worshiping from Home
I encourage you today, to cry out to God and give him all your problems, depending on Him to rescue you. Then wait and see how He shows up in your life. He loves you. He sees you. He cares about what you are going through. He is faithful in all circumstances and mighty to save you.
Psalm 31:7-8
I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love,
for you have seen my troubles,
and you care about the anguish of my soul.
You have not handed me over to my enemies
but have set me in a safe place.
And lastly, a song that has been playing over and over in my head and blessing the socks off me as it reminds met that I am dearly loved by God. I hope that it reminds you of how much you are dearly loved by Your Father!
Safe at home