We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him, our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.
~ Psalm 33:20-22
I’m sitting here this morning with many thoughts going through my head, and I’m sure I’m not alone. There is one picture I cannot get out of my head from last night. There was a Facebook post that came across my wife’s feed that unsettled me so much.
A couple from Lexington, S.C. has an infant that tested positive for COVID-19 and is on a ventilator at this point. I’m not even sure if she made it through the night, but the post from Ashley Hildebrand haunted me. Here is her post.
The virus becomes real once we see pictures of things that disturb us. The quarantine becomes real once we see something that makes us ponder and think about things we don’t want to see.
Life becomes more precious when we hurt for others that are helpless and seemingly have failing hope.
I know we have so many questions during this time in our lives. I realize that we will be able to tell our children and grandchildren about the time when this invisible virus attacked the most vulnerable in our society.
Our oldest and youngest generations seem to be those most affected by the virus, but it is the responsibility of everyone else to live a selfless quarantined life.
It’s not easy, and it certainly is inconvenient, but it is the necessary step to protect those who need protecting. The one way we can do that is to stay away from people and take some time to interact in different ways.
As I look at little Ellie, my heart hurts for her and her parents. If you read Ashley’s post, it says that she and her husband have to self-quarantine for two weeks without her. How would you handle being separated from your infant daughter for two weeks as she hangs on while this virus attacks her little lungs?
They wake up each morning and hope that God will do a miracle in her life. She asks for the prayers of people for Ellie.
Will you commit to pray for Ellie? I don’t know this family, but God does. I’m not sure of her current situation, but God does.
How will God use this for His purpose? Will God heal? How will the family deal with the hurt and pain ahead? Will there be lasting lung damage this child will suffer throughout her life? I think these are all fair questions.
What does God want to teach us about hope?
God is always teaching us in every situation to rely on Him. Regardless of our situation, we must depend on Him. Easier said than done, huh? I know. If I were Ellie’s dad, I’m not sure how I would react or respond. But I know that God wants us to respond with faith and reliance on Him because He offers hope that only He can provide.
Many of you have family members that are under a time of quarantine because of possible exposure. Some of you are carrying the virus and don’t even know it. So what does God want to teach you? What does God want to teach us? We are on day 8 of a 15-day self-quarantine and limiting our exposure to others. How are you doing with that? Whether you believe the virus is a real threat or not, are you protecting those you love most?
Ralph Waldo Emerson penned the essay, “Self-Reliance” in which he wrote, “Self-sufficiency gives one the freedom to discover one’s true self and attain true independence.” You can find this essay by following this link https://emersoncentral.com/ebook/Self-Reliance.pdf. I want to propose that you cannot live as a faithful follower of God and be self-sufficient at the same time. Think about it.
In other words, self-reliance is selfish. As difficult as that is to hear, it is true. If we believe that God is who He says He is, we cannot possibly be self-reliant.
How will we respond to God’s hope?
I think it’s a fair question. Maybe God is trying to teach you to slow down and spend more time with Him. Nobody wants to spend time alone in their homes, away from friends and neighbors. How are you going to respond? How are we going to respond? I want to propose that you use this time to slow down, get alone, and spend more time in the Bible. Take it. Read it. Meditate on it. Believe it. Hear it. Live it. Share it.
Will you take the self-quarantine time as a way to grow closer to the One who created you to have a relationship with Him.
A Prayer…
Lord, forgive me for self-reliance. Forgive me for thinking that You’re somehow unnecessary in my life. My hope is in You and your power. Will you please help me to slow down during this time of self-quarantine and seek Your word for its truth and wisdom? Help me to rejoice when things around me look so difficult and turn out differently than I think they should. Lord, You are my hope. You are everything to me. I pray for Ellie that you will heal her today.