There’s a lot of fear right now. An unseen virus is stalking our population. We’re to stay at home. To stay in place.  We fear we might get sick. People can’t go to work. We fear our economy might not bounce back.             We miss seeing our family and friends. We miss normal.

Let me tell you a story of a time when I was very fearful. It was fourteen years ago. That summer, my late husband Bill and I had just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. We had a great time, celebrating the event in the Canadian wilderness, enjoying stunning scenery, camping along the way, and hiking through steep mountains and open meadows. But there was a problem. Bill began to experience twangs of pain in his head, near his eye.The pain was persistent and became ever-present. We began to fear his chronic illness might be morphing into something more serious. Would he get worse? We cut our trip short and returned home. 

The next few weeks were treacherous and hard. There were trips to the ER for the terrible headaches and stabbing pain. They finally diagnosed the problem. It was a virus. Shingles of the Eye. It was hard to watch my husband in such pain. I wanted to make it better and I couldn’t. Fear clutched my heart. 

I was still teaching and it was soon time for school to re-open. I attended pre-opening teacher meetings and one afternoon, our principal scheduled the staff to walk a prayer labyrinth (we were a Christian school). A labyrinth is a walking path in a circle, leading to and from a central point. At various junctions, there were cards the person walking the path could pick up read. 

As I walked the pathways on that warm August afternoon, I tried not to worry about my husband who was home alone, about all the many duties I was responsible for when all I wanted was to be with him. I hoped he was all right and not in too much pain. I tried to pray and focus and as I came to a junction and picked up a random card. When I read it, I  gasped, struck by the message. It said:

~Grieving~

Please help me to stay present to this

Pain.

Support me as I move with it.

I shared the card with my colleagues, tears rolling down my cheeks. I was afraid. What did this mean? They hovered around me like a mother hen, protecting her baby chicks. They each prayed out loud prayers of strength and comfort for me. Prayers of healing for my husband. 

There were hard months that followed that memorable day. Days when I cried out to God, “I can’t do this!” But my friends’ prayers were answered. God did give me the strength to face days of uncertainty. I found strength in reading Isaiah and one verse comforted me:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you; 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

Are you afraid right now? Do you have a mate who is extremely ill and you don’t know if they will get better? Are you the one who is sick? Perhaps you fear for a child or grandchild who’s not following the path that seems right. A bigger fear, what about our economy? Will my savings and retirement funds be safe? Will our nation recover? Will life return to normal? I can’t answer those doubts and nagging questions, but I can point you to One who knows about our situation. Remember the promise mentioned above. He promises to strengthen and help. He reminds us not to fear. 

Today, I’d like to close with a prayer. For you. For me. For our nation.

Lord, we have a lot of fears. We want this terrible virus to be gone. I ask that during this unprecedented time, we would draw nearer to You and our families. Help us draw near to You in faith as our Father and our fortress. We ask you deliver us from this disease. May Your glory fill the earth as You respond to our prayers. In the faithful name of Jesus, Amen.