Sometimes, it’s good to pray the prayers of others. It’s good to delve deep into the history of the faith to find those prayers written down for our benefit for when we have no words of our own.

One that particularly struck me is adapted from a liturgical book called Every Moment Holy. It goes like this:

“Heavenly Father,
We are yours, O Lord.
Lead us by your mercies through these hours.
Teach us to faithfully shepherd the day,
Tending with patience and kindness to the needs
and hearts of the people within our reach.

Center anew our restless hearts
And remind us that in all things your grace
sustains
Meet us in the eclipsed shadow of our doubt
And lead us into your light once again
That we might find rest in the renewed certainty
That we need not be somehow perfect
To be loved by you.
Amen.”

Have faith. This coronavirus too shall pass.

Jesus spoke of Himself by many names during His earthly ministry– The Bread of Life, the Son of Man, the Good Shepherd– but the one I think that speaks to me in these days of pandemic and panic is the Prince of Peace.

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are burdened down with worry and anxiety, who work to the point of exhaustion and beyond, who can see no end to all their labors. Come to Me, and I will give you rest. Not just a good night’s sleep, but true soul-rest.”

May we echo with the Psalmist, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy” (Psalm 94:19, NIV).

Lord, grant your people rest and joy in the midst of chaos and turmoil. May we find that You are our true rest and peace and joy and hope. Amen.

It does seem that there’s a lot of blame going around currently. I heard someone say that in the current climate, it’s easy to pin the blame on the leader that you already didn’t like.

In our personal lives, how easy is it to blame someone or something else for our misfortunes instead of looking in the mirror? I don’t aim to say that everything is our fault. I do say that in every circumstance, we still choose how we respond.

How will we choose to live in the current coronavirus climate? Will we use it as an excuse to blame others or will we choose to look for how God is shaping even this into something beautiful and good?

“We spend a lot of energy wondering who can be blamed for our own or other people’s tragedies – our parents, ourselves, the immigrants, the Jews, the gays, the blacks, the fundamentalists, the Catholics….

But Jesus doesn’t allow us to solve our own or other people’s problems through blame. The challenge he poses is to discern in the midst of our darkness the light of God. In Jesus’ vision everything, even the greatest tragedy, can become an occasion in which God’s works can be revealed.

How radically new my life would be if I were willing to move beyond blame to proclaiming the works of God…. All human beings have their tragedies…. We seldom have much control over them. But do we choose to live them as occasions to blame, or as occasions to see God at work?” (Henri Nouwen).

I ran across this prayer for anxiety and stress that I posted in April 2019. It seems more appropriate now than it did then, so I’m posting a rerun of an older post. I hope it still speaks to you in the midst of these days of chaos and confusion:

“Lord Jesus, the stresses in my life often reach a dangerous proportion—or so it seems. My body, mind, and spirit struggle to keep up physically, mentally, and yes, spiritually. Some days anxiety stalks me like a deceitful predator, and the temptation to worry draws me in. I know better, but some days the challenges outweigh the truths buried inside. My trust in You fades into the background, giving fear and concerns permission to discourage me.

In those moments of apprehension, help me remember that I belong to You, and that You are not the author of fear or anxiety, but the giver of love and a sound mind. Teach me Your ways to respond to problems by giving thanks in them. Your Word assures me that You are always there with me. You are the Blessed Controller of all things, and nothing escapes Your attention in my life. You have given me every tool and spiritual blessing to fight against those things that try to steal my peace. You’ve promised that when I’m stressed and burdens are trying to weigh me down, I can come to You. You will give me sweet rest!

Whether the anxiety stems from work, parenting, finances, physical issues, or even world conditions, You are there, Lord, to shoulder the weight. Teach me to recognize the stressful trials as tools for you to shape me and rearrange me. Through those difficult times, You will teach me patience, enlarge my faith, and help me see things I couldn’t see earlier—if I will only let You. When I’m clueless as to what to do, Lord, I want to turn to you first, not last.

Forgive me for trying to handle things on my own, Lord. The need to be in control sometimes gets a stronghold on my life. That only makes things worse. I want to trust You more and see things from Your perspective, not my own. No one makes me feel uptight, angry, or stressed, and no one forces me to react negatively. I choose to respond according to my beliefs. Do I believe You are in control? Do I believe You created all things and hold all things in Your Hand? Do I believe You are truly good? When an anxious thought creeps in, help me to stop and relax, to take that thought captive, and to turn apprehension into a calm prayer for deliverance. Revamp my belief system, Lord. Show me a new way to handle life according to Your Way.

No matter what issues I am dealing with; no matter how big the problems or situations, I’m laying them all at Your feet today. Turn these potentials for stress into lessons for growth and trust. When I can’t see any possible solutions, I choose to believe that You are working things out for my good—in Your own time, as you have in the past. Show me what to do, or what not to do. As I focus on You, remembering Your promises and Your words, I believe You will fill me with a peace that is beyond all understanding

In Your precious name,
Amen” (Jennifer Heeren)

“We all know John 12, where our Lord is recorded as saying, ‘Except the grain of wheat fall into the ground and die…’ The question is not whether there is life within. That we may take for granted. But will we allow the shell of our hearts to be cracked?

…The timing is always in the Lord’s hand. In some lives, the Lord works sudden destruction; in others, he works gradual trials. We cannot shorten the time he wishes to take in accomplishing his work of destroying our shell so as to set our spirit free. But we can certainly prolong it, and this is most serious. For nothing is more grievous than wasting God’s time – and how often the work of the church is meanwhile hindered as well! Let us therefore consecrate ourselves wholly, without condition, to him, willing – delighting – to give him his full way in us” (Watchman Nee, The Release of the Spirit).

How will you live in surrender to God’s purposes for your life?

I have no good reason for posting this picture (other than this little pug looks a bit like my sister’s dog Piggy). Also, I have a daily calendar at my workspace featuring Doug the Pug. You should definitely follow him on Instagram.

I just thought that in the midst of all the grim doom-and-gloom news that constantly tells us that the inevitable worst case scenario is coming, you might need a little Star Wars little dog levity.

By the way, this also might serve as inspiration for this coming Halloween if you want to dress up your tiny dog. Just sayin’.

Anything that’s worthwhile takes a bit of effort to appreciate. I found this old poem that I’m still not sure that I 100% grasp but what I did understand was enough for me to want to share it with you.

I think it says that mere intellectual assent is not enough. Knowing all about God, sin, salvation, and all the other doctrines isn’t enough. Believing in facts about Jesus, no matter how true, isn’t enough.

It requires passion. It requires surrender.

For some of you, this poem may awaken nightmares of a 12th grade Literature class. For others, it will inspire you to write your own poems. For many, it will simply inspire worship:

“Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new. 
I, like an usurped town, to another due, 
Labor to admit you, but O, to no end; 
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend, 
But is captive, and proves weak or untrue, 
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, 
But am betrothed unto your enemy. 
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again; 
Take me to you, imprison me, for I, 
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, 
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me” (John Donne, Escape Routes).

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:44-46, NIV).

I was reminded tonight of something I had heard a long time ago but had forgotten. When Jesus was on the cross, one of His seven last sayings was reciting a bedtime prayer taught to Him by His parents.

“Into your hands, I commit my spirit.”

It’s originally from Psalm 31:5, followed by “deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”

It was more than merely a declaration that Jesus was about to die; it was a prayer of complete obedience and trust in the Father to the end.

It’s also a good prayer for those of us who follow Jesus in these very uncertain times. It’s a declaration of our dependence and a way of owning up to the fact that we can’t control anything in this life.

If God didn’t hold my world in place at every moment, it would fly apart and take me with it. If God didn’t hold me in His sustaining grace at every second, I’d fall away in a heartbeat.

“Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.”

It’s a statement of surrender to a faithful God who keeps all His promises at all times to all His people. It’s a testimony of trust in God who bids storms cease and sickness to depart.

“Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”

I was listening to a podcast today that dealt with faith themes. One of the threads running through the entire day’s conversation was about the love of God.

Specifically, love as defined by Tim Keller would seek the absolute best of the beloved at all times. That love wouldn’t let anything get in the way of the beloved’s best.

In terms of God, He won’t let anything get in the way of seeing His best for us come to fruition. He won’t let anything stand in the way of us becoming our best selves as God intended. He won’t let anything separate us from His love. Not even death.

If the worst case scenario of death can’t defeat God’s purpose for us, what else can? Absolutely nothing. Not any tragedy or natural disaster or pandemic. Not tornados, not floods, not earthquakes, not COVID-19. Nothing.

For those who are in the middle of a bad day or week and feel like giving up due to all the stress and anxiety, not even that can thwart God’s plan or stop Him loving us.

If you ever go back and re-read a favorite novel or watch a favorite movie, it does make the more suspenseful parts easier to handle when you already know the ending. If you’ve read Revelation 21-22, you know the ending of God’s story is a happy one, so that makes all the dark days and difficulties a little less dark and difficult if you know that they must one day end.

It’s not about my love for God that will sustain me but God’s love for me that gets me through.

It turns out that my iPad purchase came at just the right time. Plus I got a really good deal.

I went on Facebook Market and found someone selling his iPad Pro right at the very beginning of the whole coronavirus pandemic. I was able to meet him at a coffee shop and make the purchase.

Since I bought it, I’ve used it to stream movies and videos. More importantly, since my church has gone to online services, I’ve been able to stay connected on Sundays.

It still feels surreal. I keep expecting to wake up and find everything back to normal. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words that in this world you will have trouble. Not might have or maybe could have, but will have. It’s a guarantee.

But also guaranteed is Jesus’ promise that He has overcome the world. He’s with us in the midst of those troubles.

One of my favorite recent movie lines is “Everything will be fine in the end. If it’s not fine, it’s not the end.”

I think I’ll bear that in mind as I keep hoping and trusting God in the days and weeks to come.