God has provided a vaccine for the EMOTIONAL pandemic spreading across the earth.
Lock it down and guard it. Build a fence around it. Put no trespassing signs outside it. The thief is working overtime to rob it.
You are at risk without it. Employ it, and you can pass through fire and come out without the smell of smoke. What is it?
So much has happened in 2020. The ongoing wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington –the worst on record- are just the most recent in a series of distressing events.
Dozens of people have died. The fires have burned more than 7,000 square miles, equivalent to the land area of New Jersey.
The number of homes destroyed by the fires in Oregon alone is 1616 according to the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, 16 September.
I empathize with the nearly quarter-of-a-million evacuees. Many of whom do not know the status of their homes. Amid seemingly endless domestic and global upheaval, I recall the words of the prophet Isaiah:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:2)
Last week I saw a photo of evacuees in Oregon stuck in gridlocked traffic. I imagined what they were thinking: Why me? Why us? Why now? What about my job, my finances, my future?
I imagine many in those cars also asked, “where is God?” Isaiah answered that question. He is with His people in times of hardship and distress.
God is with His people through the rivers and the fire. He is with you through pandemic, financial loss, social injustice, and through this divisive presidential race. He promised never to leave you. (Matthew 28:20)
If you have not surrendered your life to Christ, there is good news for you too. God cares for you and is patiently waiting for you. In these surreal times, He is reaching out to you:
The LORD is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) https://dreamprayernetwork.com/why-a-dream-prayer-network/
Christians and unbelievers go through the same challenges and difficulties, but God has provided believers the supernatural gift of JOY to sustain them through hardship. God-given joy provides emotional strength and stability that defies explanation because it is not of this world.
I am telling you this because there is an emotional pandemic spreading across the globe like a cloud. This dark cloud is spewing out despair, discouragement, depression, and defeat.
God’s joy is His VACCINE against this emotional pandemic, but you must activate joy to receive its sustaining benefits. More on that later.
God is sovereign. He may deliver you from crisis or bring deliverance through crisis. In the latter case, you must put His joy to work to sustain yourself. Allow me to illustrate.
It was nighttime, and Peter was bound and sleeping between two soldiers. By all appearances, he was awaiting execution following his trial before Herod in the morning.
Then an angel visited him in prison and woke him up. Peter thought it was all a dream.
His chains fell to the ground. The angel led him out of the cell; none of the soldiers noticed a thing; the iron gate of the prison opened on its own. Peter walked away a free man. (Acts 12:5-11) God delivered Peter from the crisis.
Later, Paul is in chains for testifying in Jerusalem. That night the Lord came to Paul and told him that he would survive this ordeal and testify in Rome. The following morning, over 40 Jews took an oath to not eat or drink until they killed him. (Acts 23:11-12)
Soldiers safely escorted Paul by night from Jerusalem to Caesarea, where he remained in chains for over two years. Afterward, he embarked on a nightmarish sea journey to Rome. Paul made it. God’s joy sustained him through the crisis.
You and I are in a crisis of some form or other. We must put joy to work on our behalf. Allow me to offer some practical tips on how to do so.
First and foremost, you must decide to cast off discouragement and heaviness. Sadly, some people enjoy living under a cloud and the attention it brings. Stop harming yourself and demoralizing others!
Next, study, read, and meditate on scripture, and SING!
Thankfully, God provided us a supernatural songbook saturated with His power and presence.
The Book of Psalms contain 150 Holy Spirit-inspired songs that fuel and release the power of joy. Reading, speaking, singing, and meditating on the Psalms dispels darkness and lifts the spirit of heaviness.
Many theologians believe that Jesus quoted the Psalms during His agony on the cross. Check out Psalms 22. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms+22&version=NKJV
Psalm 114 is the ultimate Holy Ghost praise party!! You would be shouting and dancing too if you had just crossed the Red Sea after 400 years of slavery and saw Pharaoh’s army covered by sea waves. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms+114&version=NKJV
Psalms 137 is the deep lament of a people taken into captivity in Babylon. Expressing your pain and anguish to God touches the heart of Him who fuels your joy! https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalms+137&version=NKJV
The Psalms capture life experience at the top, at the bottom, and everything in between. The Psalms always point to God and activate joy in the believer.
You may not realize it, but many Christian songs have lyrics directly lifted from the Psalms. The key is to sing and listen to songs based on scripture.
Finally, get up and move! Lift your head up. Lift your hands. Pump your fists. Jump, dance, run, twirl. scream, shout, etc. Energize your joy with activity. Play an instrument, on or off key it does not matter.
Sincere praise and worship gets God’s attention. Abandon convention and if it feels awkward praise him in private. God sees you.
Let me issue you a challenge. Read through all 150 Psalms. If you are the competitive type, you can read five Psalms a day and finish in a month. If you are a plodder like me, then plod along at your own pace.
Combat the emotional pandemic. God’s joy energized in your life will keep dark clouds away from your dwelling place. Don’t let the thief steal your joy!
God Bless! Press On!! Kevin
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. (Psalms 103:1-5)
