It’s now been just about 18 months since this pandemic really started exploding across our country, and what a rollercoaster of an 18 months its been.  There was the first few months of initial fear when everything shut down in March of 2020.  But as we moved through the summer and the infection numbers in central Virginia stayed relatively low, we began to hope that things would return to normal by the fall, if not Christmas.  With the return of school (although not “normal” school) in the fall, that hope continued to rise.  But then as we moved into December and January, we saw a severe spike in infections in our area, and our hope began to fade.  But then the vaccines became widely available, and numbers began to shrink again through the spring of 2021 – the end seemed to be in sight!  Hope burned more brightly through this summer, as numbers in our area continued to decrease and plans to go back to “normal” school were put in place…but an anxiety lurked under the surface as news of highly contangious variants began to spread.  And then school did begin, just last week (at the time I’m writing this).  Now here we are today, on August 26, after only 6 schooldays, and all secondary schools in Amherst County are closed for a week and the Delta variant is running rampant in our area.  Is this ever going to end?  What do we do?  How are we to hold  on to hope in this midst of this rollercoaster of uncertainty?

Consider the wisdom of Psalm 40:

I waited patiently for the LORD;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear,

and put their trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:1-3)

Whenever I read this Psalm, I always think of the picture of the lighthouse above.  Look closely.  Do you see the man standing in the doorway, completely at ease as these giant waves crash around him?  He is still in the midst of the storm, but God has set him securely on the rock and protected him from harm.  We would all prefer that God bring an end to this pandemic, and one day He surely will.  In the meantime though, He invites us to trust Him even in the midst of the storm.  Whether that storm is a pandemic, the loss of a job, a crisis of health, being persecuted for your faith, or any other number of things, the counsel is still the same.  Trust in the Lord.  He likely won’t remove the storm, but He will hold you safe and secure in the midst of the storm.

As we all become worn out and weary, tempted to lose hope that COVID will ever go away, hold fast to the Lord.  Continue to cry out to Him and trust in Him.  He might not remove the storm, but He will set your feet on the Rock of Jesus Christ and secure you.  As you find His peace in the midst of the storm, may you find yourself singing a new song of praise to Him.

Blessings,

Rev. David Garrison