Constancy in a raging storm

This past week has been the craziest week in recent memory.  At the beginning of the week, the only thing that changed was the change to Daylight Savings Time, which throws my body off for about a week anyway.  But by the end of the week, however, it seemed like the whole world had fallen off its axis, thanks to COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus.  The World Health Organization has declared it a pandemic. Whole countries have shut down. 

In the United States, all professional sports have either postponed or canceled their seasons (and being a baseball fan, this makes me very, very sad). Schools in my home state of Illinois are closed until the end of March, colleges are only holding classes online, and courts are postponing trials.  Stores are running out of toilet paper, sanitizing wipes and paper towels.  Grocery stores are crowded and people are stocking up on groceries like it's the day before Thanksgiving or there's a blizzard warning. Churches are either canceling their services altogether or just providing Facebook Live or Zoom services, including the church I attend.  Some cities and counties are limiting gatherings to certain numbers of people, which canceled concerts.  Every day brings new challenges and new crises with the coronavirus outbreak. 

The Christian, however, has one thing in his or her life that never changes.  There is an old saying, "The only thing constant is change."  But for the Christian, that saying is not true.  For the Christian, the only constant is Jesus Christ.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This constancy is reflected in some of the names for Christ.  Jesus is our Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4).  Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last (Revelation 1:8).  

No matter how crazy the world around us gets, we Christians can cling to Jesus Christ.  He never changes and He is always with us. As long as we focus on Jesus, we can have peace in the midst of any storm.  If you feel scared or anxious about what's going on now (or at any time, really), turn to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to calm you.  

I hope you are well physically as well as spiritually.  Don't forget to wash your hands and use hand sanitizer when soap is not available, and if you're not feeling well, be sure to call your doctor. Thanks as always for reading!  

Diane