It began over things like toilet paper.

Anxiety, worry. For some, a sense of panic.

What's happening? What will happen?

How long will it last?

Will it affect us?

How will it affect us?

Do we have everything we need?

Will it be enough?

I didn't used to be a big news-watcher. For a number of reasons, I don't particularly like it; but, in recent months I've been reading more of the articles that show up on my phone. Two weeks ago, I read about people in need of food in Atlantic City. According to the article, New Jersey is the second-wealthiest state in the country. But, the effects of the coronavirus 'shut down every casino in Atlantic City and instantly put more than 26,000 people out of work - 10 percent of the county's population.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/30/nyregion/coronavirus-nj-hunger.html

Suddenly, things were changing and there was no way to stop it.

Some saw it unfolding, and felt its effects, before others.

Hard-working people who had been in their jobs for much of their lives began to run out of food, had difficulty paying their bills and feared losing their homes.

Early on, I certainly had moments when I took stock of our situation. JC & I had given notice of our plan to vacate our apartment, he had given notice to leave his job, and we had travel plans that included airline tickets we had purchased to fly to Haiti. He & I were busily sorting, packing, storing and moving. JC had to return to work a couple of times to wrap up his last vehicle sale. Other than that, the biggest effect we felt was the fact we could no longer go to the gym or the library.

But, one by one the things we had planned to do began to be cancelled or unavoidably postponed.

Regardless, we have been blessed. The friends we intended to visit in Ohio, on our way to Virginia, invited us to come and stay with them while we wait out the pandemic. As many of you know, JC & I have very much enjoyed our time here. We praise the Lord for rest, peace & quiet, friendly fellowship, and opportunities to serve & work.

In everything I see and hear, I can't help but notice how some people have been dramatically affected by this pandemic while, for others, things have changed very little.

A Scripture message has been on my mind lately that I find rather alarming.

Psalm 34:10 NASB
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.

Do you see what I see?

Imagine an earthly circumstance - a drought, maybe a famine - so dire and dreadfully destructive that young lions suffer hunger. Lions are at the top of the food chain! They eat everything! And, yet, in that same disaster, those who seek the Lord are not in want of any good thing.

For those of us who hope in the Lord, and follow after the good shepherd who speaks of God the Father:

Luke 12:22-32 NASB
And He said to His disciples,

"For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom."

…does worry ever overtake us?

As for me, I remember a specific occasion.

Not long after I obeyed the gospel, in 2006, I recognized I was having difficulty leaving my past behind me. The very house in which Jacob my son and I lived was full of reminders of the sinful relationship out of which the Lord had delivered me.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NASB
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;
the old things passed away;
behold, new things have come.

In the Savior, I was experiencing the joy of redemption, but I felt burdened by the things I saw around me. Perplexed, and bereft of a solution, I cried out to the Lord. His response was immediate and clear:
Sell the house.

Did I mention I was a single mother? And, owner of a business in which I worked at home?

I confess, I reacted and said "No" to God and I argued, listing all the reasons selling our condo was a bad idea.

When the brethren heard of it, they strongly advised against it; and a close sister in Christ who worked as a real estate agent pointed out what I already knew. The housing market had been booming. If I sold our house, I would be setting myself up to make a much larger monthly payment - whether rent or mortgage - to live in a comparable dwelling place.

The turmoil within me was overwhelming. The idea of selling just didn't make sense!

Many years prior to that, when I was young & rebellious and dead in my sin, I had moments when the gracious light of the Lord shone into the darkness in which I dwelled. You've probably had moments like that. I read a story in one of those daily devotional publications, and it touched my heart so deeply I made a copy of it. Many years later, I scanned it and stored it in my computer. I'd like to share with you a portion of its message.

"Stuck"
by T.D. Morgan
Our two-year-old daughter ran to me and cried out, "Stuck." Her hand was stuck inside a small baby food jar with which she had been playing. She held a small object in her hand which she had reached into the jar to get. She had to be convinced to let go of the object so she could get her hand out. At first, she refused since she wanted the object. Finally when she released the object, her hand came out easily.
We often hold onto some things even though it is for our own good to let them go. But letting go in the right sense is not a negative or restrictive thing. In Christ, we are blessed with a new freedom.
…some of the things we couldn't do without were the very things preventing us from being free.
Thought For The Day
Liberation in Christ means letting go of whatever prevents our holding onto Him.

During those times when I didn't know what the future held, my mind would race and I would try desperately to figure out the right thing to do. So many times, like Abram in Genesis 12, God calls us to follow Him into the unpredictable, unfathomable unknown where only He can see the destination and the outcome.

Despite my fears, I obeyed Him.

Our condo sold quickly.

Soon after, the housing market crashed.

In the months that followed, my sign business went into a steady decline. With the dwindling of my income, things got pretty scary.

I would love to tell you how the story continues, but I just remembered this is a post on our website, not a book!

To this day, it amazes me the ability God has to see something coming, and prepare us for it, while we're just going about our daily lives.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NASB
'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord,
'plans for welfare and not for calamity
to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me
with all your heart.'

Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Psalm 63:3-4 NASB
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
my lips will praise You.
So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.

gratefully Yours, Lord.

- Melanie