Here are some simple words of truth that help bring perspective through this time. This is the knowledge that when joined with our faith can have a positive stabilizing effect on us.
#The shadow you fear free#
It is this unknown that can be overwhelming at times, but Jesus came to bring truth to us that can help set us free from the grip of the unknown (John 8:32). We lack specific knowledge that helps us anticipate our own future. Ultimately how long we each live is in God’s control (Ps 31:15), but there is a future.Ī challenge that we face in this season is that we do not know how each of us will be affected by the virus. The lifespan of each person here may vary (Ps 90:10). We are only temporary occupants on this planet for now (1Pet 111-17 Php 3:20). Our lives are limited in their own strength. This knowledge can bring us all great comfort. Death touched Him but did not control Him. He also came back to life to show that death had no control over the final outcome of His life. It will one day be overcome (1Cor 15:54), but knowing this does not mean that some people will not still live in fear of its shadow (Heb 2:15). Death has spread to us all and is an enemy that we have to face (1Cor 15:26). Our mortality is the result of sin (Gen 2:17 Rom 5:12-14). What does the Bible say? It says that humans are mortal (James 1:11 4:14). The Bible talks about death and what it says can help us face this specter with confidence. That does not mean we will like everything the Scriptures say, but it does mean that if we trust God’s Word, then it can become a secure place from which we face this difficult situation. If we believe the information in the Bible then it can impact us and become the basis for our faith. This information becomes the basis of our faith (Rom 10:17). The Scriptures give us a lot of information. These two are the Word of God and knowledge. We are to have faith, and yet how do we balance faith with reality without denying either? Our success in facing our enemy comes by joining two things together. It is an enemy and it is real.Īs people of faith how are we to respond to death? We cannot just deny it is there.
We may not personally feel its touch, but most of us will feel its presence as it passes close by. It might come to a friend, a family member or working colleague. We often try to ignore its existence, but the longer the threat remains, the greater the odds are that we will all come into contact with it somehow. It is always there and it has cast its shadow across every aspect of our lives during this time. We know it is there, but we often refuse to make eye contact with it. It is like a faint specter that drifts across the scenes of our lives. It is there as we wait in line to get into a grocery store. It is there in the background of every photo of health care workers or first responders in their protective gear. This awareness is there any time we see numbered statistics about the pandemic. Through the virus outbreak the last couple weeks we have all become aware of something.