Written by Andy Willshire
Living through the Coronavirus has been tough. We’ve all faced various struggles and to differing degrees. I’ve found it hard not seeing family and friends. At the start it was novel and (dare I say it) even a bit exciting. Now, however, I want lockdown to be well and truly over. Bring back normality (and football).
My worries and frustrations pale into insignificance when compared to the single parent, the family in a 1 bed flat with no garden, the children surviving off 1 meal a day. Many people are staring death in the face on a daily basis in third world countries and are living in dire circumstances. My heart goes out to them. I can’t pretend to know anything of what they feel every day, but I know that God does. I know that there is a God who knows exactly what we are all facing, whether our struggles are minor or major; He cares. He always has and He always will.
In times of turmoil, more than ever we need to hold to Biblical truth. I believe that the way to overcome turmoil is to bow the knee in surrender to Jesus Christ. To humble ourselves to the great giver of all things. He is mighty to save and mighty to provide. Bow the knee before the King and pour out your heart before Him.
The Bible is life changing truth. I have found that the Holy Spirit can change your life when you read just one verse. Ephesians 1 v 15-23 is one of those passages:
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
I just wanted to encourage from this passage as to how we as Christians can overcome turmoil by clinging to truth:
1. Jesus is King. You may sit in the lowest place on this earth, downtrodded, forgotten and marginalised. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father far above all rule and authority. Get that. Let that sink in. Take your eyes off your situation (it’s hard) and fix on Jesus. Lock on and don’t look away. Forget what others may say about you or label you – Jesus is not afraid to call you his brother or sister. The one we worship and adore is in total charge, total control, reigning in total power. This means He is King of your life, King over sickness, King over health, King over your finances and King over the number of days you shall live. So when you bow the knee, remember who you are bowing before. Remember that there is nothing he cannot do. No situation he cannot change for good. We have the awe inspiring, mind blowing entitlement to approach the throne of grace. Come with thanks, come with praise and come with the comfort that Jesus is King.
2. Jesus is the Truth. We read that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus is alive. The truth of the gospel is that because He lives, we are free from the bondage of death for all eternity and sin for the here and now. No pandemic, no amount of death, no amount of racism in this life can ever change the ultimate truth and meaning of life – Jesus is the Truth. We were created to worship Him. To live for Him and give our lives to Him. In times of turmoil, remember that you are rooted in the truth if you have surrendered your life to Him. And knowing Jesus, the truth, means that no matter ”truth” the world throws as us, we can rest secure in the Way the Truth and the Life. Hold fast to Jesus when confusion comes. Find comfort in the fact that you know, personally, the Truth giver.
3. Jesus is our power. The passage talks about the Holy Spirit enlightening our hearts so that we can know the hope He has called us to. And this hope is simply staggering. He has called us to know the riches of a glorious inheritance which cannot rust or decay, waiting for you and I in heaven for all eternity. Wow. But Jesus always empowers us in this life. And we can be encouraged in times of turmoil that we don’t need to rely on our own strength or abilities. Because why would we – we are told that the immeasurable greatness of his power is towards us who believe. His power cannot be measured. The one who flung stars into space is for you and His earth creating power is towards you. I don’t know about you, but that brings me rest. This also means that there is no turmoil or strife that we can face which Jesus does not have the power to overcome in our lives. This doesn’t mean the situation may always end up as we want it to. But it does mean we can find peace and truth in the darkest of times because of His power towards us through the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
If you’re looking for Truth in your turmoil, know this in your heart above everything else: Jesus is King over everything and everyone (even the Cornavirus). He is the Truth. His power is towards you who believe. I pray that as we know the truth, the truth will set us free and our turmoil will be turned to joy.