Good morning: If we were going to choose one word to describe the past several weeks it might be “uncertainty.” The uncertainty is evident in hand sanitizer flying off store shelves, sporting events being canceled and the implementation of travel restrictions and quarantines. New terms like “social distancing” are heard every day. An economy which has been flourishing for years is suddenly struggling. Perhaps some of your own plans for coming weeks or months are now questionable. It’s unsettling and even frightening. But then in my Friday morning devotion I came to this verse from Habakkuk: “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Hab. 2:20). That puts everything into perspective, doesn’t it? This world may be in turmoil and things may appear to be falling apart and totally out of control, yet the LORD, the eternal God of faithful love and promise, is unaffected. He is the almighty Creator of all things in heaven and on earth. He opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing. He is in control of all that happens everywhere. “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him” (Ps. 115:3). We can be certain of it. There is something else in addition to God’s power which we can absolutely rely upon—His faithful love. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness” (Jer. 31:3). God’s love is not a fickle emotion which disappears as quickly as it comes. It is an unconditional forever-love which doesn’t depend on anything in us. God loves because He is love. In love He is true to His Word. He doesn’t lie. Every promise is kept. “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful” (1 Cor. 1:9). In all the uncertainty God’s promises become even more sure in comparison. When Jesus says, “Surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age” and “I will never leave you or forsake you,” count on it. When Paul writes, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32), believe it, for it’s true. When the uncertainty of the present seems to be heading toward certain disaster in the future, trust the Lord’s promise: “I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer. 29:11). Jesus has already overcome sin and death and secured our place in God’s kingdom by His sacrifice on the cross. He certainly has the present crisis in His gracious hands as well. Yours in His name, Pastor Sunday services are at their usual time: 8:00 and 10:45 a.m. Choir meets at 9:10 a.m. and Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. Adult Bible class is at 9:45 a.m. We’ll be discussing what Martin Luther teaches us about how to respond to the coronavirus.
