Corona Devo 17

It's hard to put into words the heaviness.  How can I explain the feeling of being in a pit with greased sides, and not being able to get any grip to climb out?  The Corona situation and news and constant conversation has me at the bottom of a slimy pit sometimes. 

The News.  The unknown of the longevity of the stay-at-home.  The lack of cure.  Sometimes it is from feeling cooped up, and sometimes it is out of shear sadness for someone close to me that is hurting and drowning in all of this.  Sometimes that someone is me.  

The terror and worry that the media are shoving down our throats via our TV's and devices is actually choking me.  Choking my hope, and any shred of joy.  I think one evil angle of the Coronavirus is the WORRY of it that sucks the life out of our bones.

I try to breathe deep breaths of Jesus, of the birds singing, of my family.  And sometimes it works.  But this Corona quick-sand seems to continually pull me in, and I feel myself trapped (and feeling frantic) as I watch news briefs, videos, numbers and deaths climbing.  It is suffocating.

It's hard for me to put it into words.  However, in Psalm 69 David was describing his struggle, but he was also narrating for me (and maybe you). Read on to see how the Bible narrates our current emotional and mental situations:

Psalm 69

1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold.  I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.

3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.  My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Can I get an “Amen!”, anyone?  This is how the Corona-chaos sometimes feels to me.  Waters up to my neck, and like I am sinking in the “miry depths”.  (Doesn’t the Bible have great writing?!)

And I do call out to the Lord, in prayer, and I lay it all down, but then in worry we often pick it all back up again.  

 13 But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.

14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.

15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

I am reminded that for centuries and thousands of years Godly men and women have come to the Lord at their low points.  There have been many before me that cried out to God, and asked for Him to rescue them from their sinking situations. “Do not let me sink” ~Psalm 69:14.  I think if I boil it down, that is a good nugget to sum it up.  I don’t want to sink in the middle of all this. And sometimes I really feel like I am.  But Lord, don’t let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. ~Psalm 69: 15.  It’s so appropriate, isn’t it?  

(By the way, if you are having some good days, and don’t relate to this, Congrats!  But tuck this devotional away for another time, because I seem to be experiencing cycles in this Corona-circus, and it’s possible you might need Psalm 69 on another day.)

16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.

17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.

18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.

29 I am in pain and distress: may your salvation, O God, protect me.

Let’s break them down as they could apply to us today.  These verses are more pleas for the Lord to answer us (and our Corona anxieties), for Him to come near to us, and rescue us.

God wants and delights in us asking Him for these things.  He is our Heavenly Father.  The best dad there could ever be.  He wants us to talk to Him and be honest with Him about everything.

Repeat these verse out loud to him in prayer today if you are feeling trapped in your Corona worries:

16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes.
29 I am in pain and distress: may your salvation, O God, protect me.

And guess what?  The rest of Psalm 69 says that God hears us.  We are needy right now.  Needy for His peace.  Needy for His hope.  Needy for His direction.   33 The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. ~Psalm 69:33  Not only are we needy right now, but many of us are absolutely being held captive by our fears.  The Lord hears us.

33 The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.  

34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them,

35 for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah.  Then people will settle there and possess it;

36     the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

These verses are of hope.  They speak of a future for us and our children.  

They also speak of heaven and earth praising God.  We cannot stop doing that.  We have to remember that He is holy and He is mighty, and He wins in the end (He defeated death, and His resurrection proved that!)

These verses are God’s word, and I believe them.  They were written thousands of years ago about different people and their cities had different names, but I choose to believe that God’s promises for them are also His promises for us.

35 for God will save… and rebuild….  Then people will settle there and possess it;

36     the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.

If you have been trapped in the miry pit, claim God’s truth and take His hand to pull you out.

He has hope for us, and a future, beyond the Coronavirus.  And those who love his name will dwell there. ~Psalm 69:36

Blessings,

sarah