Trust in God

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble….Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. (KJV) (Psalm 46:1, 10) 

 The world is in chaos right now with the coronavirus pandemic and the myriad of ill-conceived responses to it. It’s particularly chaotic in the United States where our president (I almost wrote leader, but he is no leader), is doing everything in his power to make the world more chaotic. When we need strength and courage the most, we only have weak and cowardly. While the president’s campaign had claimed that more than a million people had sought tickets to attend the rally at the 19,000-seat BOK Center, the venue was still half empty by the time Trump landed in Tulsa. The crowd for the rally was much smaller than expected. COVID-19 has not been kind to Tulsa lately. At a second, outdoor venue where Trump was set to declare a “great American comeback” was so sparsely attended that he and Vice President Mike Pence both canceled appearances there. Maybe his followers are running like scared rats on a sinking ship.

 Trump’s supporters have a religious fervor to them akin to the snake handling churches of my home state of Alabama. One man at the Tulsa rally said, “If it is God’s will that I get coronavirus that is the will of the Almighty. I will not live in fear.” This idea has been repeated by many who refuse to wear masks or social distance and choose to gather in crowds. What these people don’t understand is that God wants to you protect yourself and others. They equate Trump’s lack of morality, if they chose to believe he has a lack of morality, with various deeply flawed biblical figures: David, Saul, Solomon, and even the Persian King Cyrus. I won’t go into the whys of this strange belief because they are too ludicrous to even contemplate for long.

 The fact is, the world has gone mad, and we need our faith to help right this ship. So, what can we do at a time like this? When we find ourselves in trouble, where do we turn? Do we call our parents, best friend, or sibling? If they aren't available, then where do we turn? In the moment you can turn to God, who knows you, loves you, and has made you who you are. He will come to comfort us and rescue us when we encounter trouble. He is always ready for us to pray to Him whenever our hearts cry out to Him. Pause, breathe, and meditate on the truth that no matter how chaotic our world feels, we serve a powerful God. Simple truth can bring us the most comfort in a confusing world. This is the truth; God is still in control and working on our behalf. We just need to trust God and keep calm and carry on.

Democrats.org