“Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”- Matthew 6:26-27

 This scripture keeps playing in my mind as our country unwinds to a halt. It’s moments like these—where we find ourselves with more questions than answers—that we are given a unique opportunity. Can we live out our faith?

Uncertainty is a funny thing, and it leaves us with a choice. Are we going to surrender our fears to the promises of God, and rest in His peace and joy? Or will we melt down at the sight of empty toilet paper shelves, diminished meat and dairy choices, and the change or loss of a job?

When the world around us goes crazy—and life as we know it changes—are we able to offer thanks to God for His provisions even if they’re not what we had before? Is it possible to praise Him and retain hope for the future in the face of pandemic, chaos, and negativity? Do we dare rest in the knowledge that this, too, will most likely pass? Uncertain events like COVID 19 break open our faith, and ask the deeper question, “Can we believe in the Father who promises to take care of us?”

Self-quarantine can feel like forever. We find ourselves dreaming about eating out again, visiting with family and friends, and getting our children back into school. But in all this, there’s one good probability. The virus will run its course and the vast majority of us will go back to normal lives. As with all events, good and bad, it will become a distant memory.

Yet, there is something even more certain than the end to this virus. It’s the love of a Heavenly Father who sees every detail of our lives and reaches down to give us exactly what we need in any given situation if we but ask. You might wonder, “How can we trust this? How do we know God wants to do this for me?” Well, first of all, He created you in His likeness, so you could be like Him and be with Him. You are unique and special to our Father, and He loves you with a never-ending love—even when you rebel and go your own way. Why? Because that’s who He is.

God knew you from the beginning, and He made a plan for you and me to come back to Him when we were at our worst, living in sin. He didn’t want to lose us! He offered His own son as the perfect lamb to be slain for our salvation. He wants you and me for eternity!

That knowledge brings understanding and assurance that God is love, and He’s not going to leave us or forsake us. We aren’t throwaways. His eye is on every one of us.

He also offers unending peace and joy that starts right now for those of us who are willing to seek Him and trust Him. And with that, He promises to feed us, clothe us, and take care of us. But the choice is ours. We have to decide whether to trust Him or not. God will not force any of us to love Him or trust Him.

I don’t know about you, but I cannot turn down an offer like that. My prayer is that you won’t either.  

Heavenly Father, we ask for Your peace, Your provision, and Your rest for our friends at RCC during this uncertain time, and also for our residents who are coming out of chaos. Give us Your wisdom, strength, and love to continue in this work. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peace and blessings!

Scott & Connie Payne (Inner City Mission of Springfield, Inc.)

 P.S.    Imagine for a moment what it would be like if you had to live every day of your life in constant fear and chaos. What if you didn’t know if you had a place to sleep tonight? Or whether your children would be warm and safe? Or which person had stolen your belongings again? That’s how it is for many of our residents at Inner City Mission. They arrive in a state of havoc, plagued by nightmares and recurring memories. Their sleep is robbed, and their peace, stolen. You might ask, “Why does this happen?” Well, it goes back to relatives and caretakers who never really cared for them. Instead of protecting them, they took from them. They took their identity, their value, and their innocence.

Praise God, it doesn’t have to stay that way! A big part of our job is calming the chaos in people’s lives as we offer the love of God to them. We do this so they can find lasting joy and peace in Christ which brings stability. And we do it with the help of prayers and financial support from caring people. If you would, say a prayer for our ministry to the homeless. Drop us a card saying you’d like to be added to our mailing list. We would love to partner with you in helping to calm the chaos in people’s lives during this uncertain time.