Louder Than the Unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me
Fear has gripped my heart, soul, and mind. Anyone else out there?
Here's the thing about fear: It steals from us. Fear is a liar. It steals our joy and comfort and our life. It sucks away the joy from our life. It takes away from our lives all that is good and beautiful. And fear is not what the Lord wants us to have. The Enemy uses fear to disable us. The Lord wants to strengthen us. The Lord wants us to trust. He wants us to find comfort and joy in Him. Comfort and joy in His promises.
But it's really tough when all we see and feel is just a little bit uncertain and dark. I was relatively calm throughout this period of time. I was at peace and I wanted to be the peaceful person for everyone else. I found myself gradually joining the anxiety train in light of the most recent days. Maybe this is where you are at as well.
People kept asking me: "Aren't you worried?" "Aren't you scared?"
Or "How are you feeling?"
As everything began to change, my emotions progressed into anxiety. Maybe I should be feeling more worried. Maybe I should be feeling a little more concerned for my health in the midst of this. On Friday morning, my stomach ached with physical anxiety. This anxiety could only be fixed through sitting in the presence of God. Believing His peace is a gift that will consume everything else.
John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
God gives gifts to us and they are nothing like what the world gives. He gives us the gift of peace. Peace is to be filled with security - with God's security. The security that God is holding us, the security that God is always with us.
We are people of peace. But we haven't been living like people of peace.
Honestly, I think we are all in the same boat. We were feeling confident and really hopeful (at first). We didn't grasp the seriousness of this situation. I mean, did anyone? We thought it would pass by rather quickly. And then this pandemic spread faster than wildfire. Panic started to sink in. As our disappointments increased, so did our worries.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 4:6-7
But I want to say something bold, if you'll let me.
Our hope is not in basketball tournaments.
Our hope is not in graduation ceremonies.
Our hope is not in physical events or physical places of worship.
Our hope is in Jesus. Our hope is in His sacrifice and His resurrection.
My hope is that we would remember this living hope in this dark period of uncertainty. That we would remember to taste and see that He is good, He is gracious, He is in control. Our hope is in His promises to us. Our hope is in the Lord. For He is our help and our shield (Ps. 33:20).
My best friend actually inspired this post more than she knows. She told me when disappointment sunk in deep for me: "I know it sucks right now. And my heart really breaks for everyone out there that is experiencing a sense of loss because of all of these cancellations. But if canceling graduation means I have a better chance of having you in my life longer, then I'll take that."
And I think this is the mindset we all need to have. If we have a better chance of having each other in our lives longer, then we need to take that. For that is so much better than any disappointment we face today.
We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. We are the called out ones. We are people of peace.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22, ESV
The thing is that in this time we have all been impacted by this. It may not be in a physical manner. But we are all losing something because of this situation and that is hard. It is humbling. But still heartbreaking. I believe it is still normal to grieve it. But we have so much more to look forward to.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3
You see, we have a hope and a future that is so much greater than what we have here right now. We need to remember that. I was reminded Sunday of the state we are in. What I have learned is that we sit in a scarcity mentality. And this has affected us in every possible way. But as God's people, God's sons and daughters, God's kingdom builders, we need to remember. We need to remember that we are children of the King of Kings. We need to remember that the King is the King of abundance. God is the God of abundance. He is more than enough for us. We are and never will be in scarcity. He has more than enough grace and love and peace to sustain us and even more. So we don't sit in a scarcity mentality. We do not need to press pause in anxiety. No, we move forward in praising the God who never gives up.
God's heart for His people is filled with an abundance of love
God's promises are louder than our unbelief.
He promises to fight for us (Exod. 14:14)
He promises to give us strength (Isa. 40:29)
He promises to be with us (Isa. 41:10)
He promises to love us (Isa. 54:10)
He promises to never leave us (Deut. 31:8)
Our hope is in God's promises to us
As I was writing this out, I was reminded of a wonderful theological statement. It may take us back to our past. You remember this little series called Veggie Tales? Okay, just stay with me. Veggie Tales created the song titled, "God is bigger than the boogie man."
If you know it, sing along (I mean, what else are you doing right now?):
God is bigger than the boogie man.
He's bigger than Godzilla,
Or the monsters on TV.
Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man.
And He's watching out for you and me.
You don't need to be a child to understand how important this is. But I'm afraid we've forgotten the implications of such a silly song. We have forgotten how big our God really is and have subjected ourselves to fear. But folks, God is seriously bigger than the boogie man.
If He is bigger than the boogie man, then surely he is bigger than this pandemic. I think we've forgotten how big and mighty and wonderful our God really is.
God is bigger than the boogie man
God is bigger than sickness
God is bigger than this darkness
God is bigger and louder than our unbelief.
Although I don't believe that God has caused this all to happen, I do absolutely believe that we have a great opportunity at hand. We have the great opportunity to seek the Lord in a way that we have never done before. To pray and fast. To pause and remember who God is and who He has called us to be. Let's not sit in fear. Let's not hide away in our quarantine corners. But let's praise God. Let's declare the peace that we know is already living in us. It's there. The Lord has given it to us and if it's missing, we can ask for more because our God is a God of abundance. He is infinitely greater than anything we can imagine.
So..let's raise a hallelujah.