The Lord himself will fight for
you. Just stay calm. Exodus
14:14 NLT
Dead ends
faced me in every direction I turned.
Every fall,
when apple-picking time arrived, my wife and I, along with our daughter and her
two boys, made our way to Hendersonville, North Carolina. We enjoy the scenery,
love the apples, and enjoy watching the grandboys play on the various
attractions.
One activity
we always enjoy entails walking through the corn maze. Walking through a cornfield where the corn reaches higher than my six-foot frame brings back fond memories—memories of doing the same as a boy as my cousin, and I ran through our grandfather’s corn fields.
The corn
maze also reminds me of an attraction at the local fair where I grew up in
Orangeburg, South Carolina: the Glass House. As I recall, I only mustered the
nerve to do it one time. Everywhere I turned, I hit a glass wall. I finally
made my way out, but not before panic set in.
While I
enjoy the corn maze, I always feel a sense of anxiety when walking through it.
Paths lead in all directions. I have no way of knowing which one will lead me
to the end of the maze. Fortunately, I have my wife ahead of me, and she has a
better sense of direction. But even with her excellent nose, we hit several
dead ends. A sign greeted us, telling us we had come the wrong way.
Since the
corn stalks stretch tall like a church steeple, seeing over them to find a
landmark that would direct us back to the apple barn was impossible. Finally,
we made our way out. Although I was a little anxious, I did not panic. In this
case, I knew I could walk out of the field if I wanted to and see where I was.
Not so
easily solved with COVID-19, which hit in full force during 2019-2020. People
in China contracted it initially, and many died. Suddenly, the virus left China
and marched across the world. The number of infected grew—and thousands died.
With no cure available, panic grew. Toilet paper disappeared from shelves like
a chicken thief with his goods—even though diarrhea was not a symptom of the
virus. Hand sanitizer followed. My wife and I walked through retail and grocery
stores and saw empty shelves. People hoarded food items as well. Doomsday thinking
reigned.
Panic had a
domino effect. Sporting events were axed. Churches canceled services. The
President of the United States declared a national state of emergency.
Governors closed schools. Even the private school where I teach closed.
Everywhere, panic and anxiety rose and multiplied. People were encouraged to
social distance themselves from places where fifty or more people would be
gathered—then ten. Restaurants closed their dining areas and only opened the
carry-out or drive-thrus.
Panic also
gripped God’s people. They had just left four hundred years of slavery in
Egypt. As they made their way toward the Red Sea, the king of Egypt—who had
changed his mind about letting them go—hounded them. When the children of
Israel looked around, they saw Pharaoh and his armies behind them and the Red
Sea in front of them. Moses, their leader, told them to stay calm. The Lord
would fight for them. Moses’ message was the same I heard from official after
official during the Coronavirus: stay calm.
When panic
over dire circumstances sets in, we should remember a big but comforting word:
sovereignty. The Bible attributes this trait to God. He is in control. He has
not stepped away from his throne, where he rules the world.
God will
also watch over His children. This does not mean we won’t succumb to the
sickness, but God will give us wisdom to do what we need. And if a disease or
natural disaster should snatch our lives away, God has an eternal home awaiting
us. Knowing this, however, should not prevent us from taking every precaution
we can. God gives us a mind to use and His Spirit to guide us along proper
courses of action.
Trust is the
key. God tells us not to be anxious or worry. He will supply our needs.
Whatever we’re anxious about, we can present to him in prayer, and he will give
us a peace that exceeds our understanding.
Panic sends
a bad message that we think things are out of control, but they aren’t. God controls
the timing and the duration of the situation and uses it for his good
purposes—as well as ours.
When
circumstances appear out of control and you are tempted to panic, remember who
controls the situation.
Father, I
look to you to lead me away from panic and fear and to trust instead.
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