My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ,
As many of us sit in our homes, each doing our part to limit the spread of COVID-19 to those in our community that are vulnerable, I wanted to give you some thoughts to ponder, and some consideration for prayer. I pray that they are an encouragement to you!
God Still Reigns
I shared Psalm 46 with our staff the last time we met and I had no idea how impactful it would be over the coming week and days. The first lines ring true for all humanity as this virus has moved invisibly throughout the world: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefor we will not fear though the earth gives way, through the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” Make no mistake, regardless of what occurs in the physical plane, God’s reign is still present and in some way, shape, or form, history will speak to the fact that the Lord’s Spirit will use this time of trial to bring glory to God, and draw men and women to himself.
You Are Not Alone
This unprecedented time has taken our already isolated society and caused that to escalate and multiply to an exponential degree. It is at this time that we are given new insight on why being part of the body of Christ is so important. I am reminded of Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The surrounding situation has removed the ability to meet together, and thus, we are not neglecting it but are being asked for the good of the whole to postpone meeting. But notice that we can still do the other imperatives: consider how to stir up one another to love and good works and encourage one another. Remember that you are not alone, and if you feel that way, realize that you are not alone in that feeling, so take a moment to scan the member directory and call someone up that you know you can encourage. We will get through this together! To those of you already doing that, I cannot tell you the joy my heart has felt at hearing how you are caring for one another in the midst of this. One of the newest visitors to our church was in tears on a recent call about the love she has felt from our body. Keep reaching out to one another! You are not alone!
Our Mission Has Not Changed
When Jesus was asked to boil down all of the law of God’s righteousness and justice, He stated, ““You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37–39) Our mission of loving God, whether gathering together, or in our homes alone, and our mission of loving others, whether over the phone or as you labor tirelessly to serve those affected by the virus, has not changed. In the midst of this trial, there will be glory to God and good to humanity, even in the midst of sickness and death.
My Heart Longs To See You All
It is amazing how quickly a bit of distance and an absence of something we probably all take for granted in a Sunday gathering has caused me to revitalize my love for each and every one of you. Never have the following words of Paul to the church at Rome made so much sense to me: “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” (Romans 1:11–12) Please join me in dutiful and fervent prayer that this virus, the fear that surrounds it, and the economic fallout after, will be conquered in the name of Christ our King. Pray with me that the enemy’s plans to destroy and subjugate those that are the Lord’s will come to nothing. Pray that we might gather together again soon so that we might be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.
What A Blessing To Experience Thirst For God’s People
One of my favorite scriptures is out of Psalm 42:1: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” As I have been thinking on that verse lately, I feel an even greater desire for the Lord’s physical return to put wrong to right and turn chaos into shalom. In meditating on it, however, I realized the thirst I feel for being among the body of Christ. In this time where we are not meeting, I recognize it is our desire to find a temporary replacement for our church body life. But the reality is that nothing can take the place of a body of believers gathered together in Jesus’ name. Just as seeing my wife or children on FaceTime is a sorry substitute for holding them in my arms and seeing them face to face, all our attempts to numb the pain of not being with one another will not be dismissed until we are able to do so again. In knowledge of this truth, I want to encourage you to embrace the sadness and sorrow, embrace the thirst that exists to be with one another and rejoice in the Lord together. My heart has been greatly encouraged as I have talked to some of you and your longing is not for donuts or a teaching or a social gathering, your longing is to be able to worship together with your brothers and sisters. This assures me of the presence of God’s Spirit among our body more so than anything else. What a blessing to experience thirst for God’s people…it drives us to our knees in prayer, it calls us to bear one another’s burdens, and it brings gratitude for one another like nothing else can.
In this time of separation, let’s lean fully into the blessing of solitude so that we might pray in response to all that surrounds us. May the Lord meet you in these times of prayer like never before.
In His Love,
Pastor Hans
A Scripture To Meditate On In The Midst Of Prayer:
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalm 62:5–8)
Specific Prayers:
Prayer for the healthcare workers in our body as the hospital, and surrounding clinics, ramp up care for those showing symptoms of the virus. Prayer for encouragement, confidence in Christ, endurance, energy, peace, and immunity to the virus.
Prayer for our brothers and sisters in Burkina Faso. Churches are likewise closed there and so many who are served by the church in their already extreme poverty may not get the care they need. If there is fear in the western world about poverty and the economic impact of this virus, realize what that means for brothers and sisters throughout the world already in that place of poverty.
Prayer for the Mom’s and Dad’s of new babies and those with upcoming births. While the virus seems to be affecting adults more so than children, this is still a scary time for those folks in our church. Pray for peace for them.
Prayer for those dealing with other health concerns in the midst of this virus. Prayer that they will get the care that they need and recover from recent surgery.
Prayer for those in our body enduring hardship because of lost income due to the shutdown of their places of business. If you know of those folks, please have them reach out to a deacon or elder.
Prayer for our local, state, and federal leaders. This is not about politics, it is about people made in the image of God. Pray that our leaders have wisdom, unity, and endurance. We need them now, more than ever, to be people of character and decisive action.