FROM TODAY’S READING (3/20/2020)...
“Tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and all sorts of natural disasters occur regularly in our world. They seem like unnecessary horrors, yet God somehow brings good from the devastation they leave behind.
Communities rally. Churches share. People seek comfort and find Jesus. And we can look for the hand of God even in the midst of coronavirus...
We should all pray for the virus to be contained and eradicated, and for the sick to be healed. We should hold up the grieving to feel comfort and the world’s medical staff to endure. We should also pray for hearts to change.
During crisis, we lament, request, and intercede pretty easily. But let’s not forget to confess our sins or to praise and thank God for who He is and what He does in crisis or not. God is good, He has always been good, and He always does good.
Praying from this perspective will change what you expect from God (even in a crisis) and will change how you love and worship Him.”
Sue Schlesman, Crosswalk.com (10 ways Coronavirus can change your life for better)
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
James 1:2-4 (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT) Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Image: Creative Commons (Upstream.com)
