Corona Virus

Jesus Our Life Preserver

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Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him, because he knows my name when he calls to me I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Psalm 91:14-16

Some have compared this new Corona virus to the swine flu outbreak or Ebola. But a more realistic comparison that most of us have forgotten is the polio epidemic of 1916 that swept through cities like New York and Boston. Back then, very much like today panic ensued as tens of thousands were infected and 2,000 deaths occurred in New York City alone. Because we are accustomed to thinking that there is a cure for every conceivable disease that is hard for us to imagine how generations of everyday people could face such uncertainty with courage.

The fears we face today may feel very different than those of the past but our hope remains the same. Our hope is in trusting God. He has promised to be with us. Our hope is not just a doctrine or a trophy to be kept on display but it is our life preserver in desperate times. God has not forgotten us and He has promised to deliver us; answer us in our trouble; rescue us and shows us His salvation.

Memories and Prayers

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If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified that you bring forth much fruit. John 15:7-8 ESV

Since 1998 when God first called me into Nursing Home Ministry I have felt a love, an energy and an urgency to walk through every door that God opened. Today as I look back I have nothing but gratitude and amazement remembering thousands of handshakes, hugs, songs and prayers. But today I would ask again for your prayers for these precious ones who no one can any longer visit during this health care crisis.

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You and I on the outside may be able to watch a live service from our home computer and live in relative safety. But in most nursing homes no one except a nurse or a doctor will be able to stand by their side and pray. No one will have an opportunity to serve them communion. No worship leader will be able to bring them music unless it is on the radio or television. But God is greater. Jesus has not lost the address of even one person who sits in assisted living; He has not abandoned those in long term nursing and has He forgotten those in memory care. God has a way forward.

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It is hard when we just turn on the television and see the statistics of infections and deaths to put a face on their story. So here are just a few photos of special friends some of whom have gone on to glory. Their smiles, their voices and love have been my best reward on earth for the simple acts of service I have been privileged to give them.

 

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Waiting on God’s Weaving

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Wait for the Lord: be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.           Psalm 27:14 ESV

One of my least favorite plays (which I was compelled to watch because mom said so) was titled “Waiting for Gadot” It involved a couple of guys hanging around  waiting for a friend who guess what…never showed up! For an eight year old who far preferred Davy Crockett; Daniel Boone or Kidnapped; this was akin to Chinese water torture. Though I hated the play, it left an indelible impression on me about waiting. However when King David uses the word wait in this Psalm he isn’t at all suggesting the waiting for the train kind of waiting that we might associate with it.

Instead the Hebrew word for wait: quvah – comes from a root which implies two cords being woven together into a rope. Secondarily it includes something that my second language of Portuguese calls it; which is hope. In fact in Portuguese hoping and waiting are even the exact same word!

So what you might ask, “what good does that do for me?” That’s a great question and the answer is plenty! This kind of waiting isn’t just hanging out and hoping that God will show up. In fact God already has shown up in Bethlehem and His plan since that moment is that in our times of doubt and fear that our hearts will be steadily and slowly woven together with His. As the Apostle Paul states  in his letter to the Romans:

“And hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is given to us. Romans 5:5 ESV

So whether our crisis is a sickness like the Corona virus which has brought our nation to a halt; a broken relationship or shattered dreams, God is right here – right now waiting for you and I. His heart is open and ready to receive us when we open our hearts to receive Him. As Jesus hung  in agony on the cross He gave His spirit into His Father’s hands. Our waiting on God means putting our hearts into His hands and then stepping back as the Holy Spirit weaves us together with Him in the love of Jesus Christ!

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