Corona Devo 1795

What do we do when disaster (or trauma or diagnosis or fear) strikes?  Who do we trust?  What do we rely on?  Is faith our foundation, or do we turn our hearts away from the Lord when the going gets tough or we are scared out of our minds?

It seems like an easy question...but it's not.  

We all know what we should do (Trust in the Lord!).  And that is what (I would say) I would do...but when life sucker-punches us in the stomach or fate has fear pounding on the door of our heart...what do we do?  Where do we go?  Whom do we trust?  And are we fully aware that the choices we make are the choices that define (and exemplify) the depth of our faith?

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.  (6) They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.  They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.  ~Jeremiah 17:5-6

Ouch.  We do not want to be in that camp.  Are we?  Where do we run?  Who do we dial?  How do we handle hard things?

But--if our trust in Jesus is real and our faith has roots that reach deep...then even though the fire burns hot, and our life/our path/our spirit may be parched...we are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.

If we have God, then we are good, even in the hard.

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.  (8) They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.  ~Jeremiah 17:7-8

~~~

The other day our daughter was with some friends when one of them fell ill.  Literally.  

The child needed medical attention and she received it, but a gaggle of girls saw and experienced some hard things.

Shock set in and fear rose.  

They cried.    

They worried.  

They freaked.

And they prayed.  

They huddled up and lifted up the young woman who went to the doctor's and they trusted in the Lord.

The other day our daughter was with some friends when one of them fell ill.  Literally.  

Shock set in and fear rose.  

They cried.  They worried.  They freaked.

This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.  (6) They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.  They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.  ~Jeremiah 17:5-6

And they prayed.  

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.  (8) They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.  ~Jeremiah 17:7-8

~~~

What do we do when disaster (or trauma or diagnosis or fear) strikes?  Who do we trust?  What do we rely on?  Is faith our foundation, or do we turn our hearts away from the Lord when the going gets tough or we are scared out of our minds?

If we have God, then we are good, even in the hard. 

Blessings,

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