Jesus Over 2020Sample

Perhaps God

The days since the Covid-19 pandemic started have been the most rapidly changing times of my life. Not just day-by-day, but hour-by-hour. Cases are up and down. Death rates are up and down. Restrictions evolve overnight.

So much unexpected change can be destabilizing. We don’t know what to expect, so it causes anxiety, stress, and fear. 

We become paralyzed, because if we move in one direction, it may change. So we just stand still and wait. Stare at the news. Look for the next health guideline. Wonder about what’s next. 

Sometimes, God asks us to wait on Him. But sometimes He is waiting on us. 

In 1 Samuel 14, we read the story of Jonathan, the son of King Saul. The king and the entire army were waiting, in fear. They were paralyzed. They didn’t know what step to take. 

Jonathan sees losing in waiting. He grabs his armor-bearer to go and fight, a great act of faith. You would think that if Jonathan thought it was time for battle, then certainly he had a sign from God! The circumstances must have been perfect for Jonathan to move forward. Jonathan must have known something that the king and his scaredy-cat army didn’t know. 

What did Jonathan know that no one else did? Why did Jonathan decide to move, when everyone else stood still? His secret was captured in a little phrase in 1 Samuel 14:6 NIV “...Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf...” Perhaps? Maybe? Possibly? Is that really enough information to lead someone into a potentially fatal battle?

Bit Jonathan saw a different world than we see most times. We want a list of pros and cons. We want more certainty than “perhaps.” I want to know that my preparation will give me the best odds to win. I want more firepower. I want my circumstances to be just right. 

But Jonathan had a powerful belief in God. He believed that God would act, and God would come through. People who believe in the “perhaps” of God experience the power of God. 

The 2020 pandemic can paralyze us. Times feel so unstable. It can cause us to stand still, cause us to wait until it’s over. But what if we saw Jesus’ “perhaps” in the pandemic?

Questions:

Are you living in fear or moving in faith?

How has fear affected your everyday mindset?