Someone said, “Well we were praying for our nation’s leaders to stop arguing and do something useful” and “we wanted world powers to work together in peace”.  A thought many have expressed is, perhaps God is answering those very prayers by working good out of bad. We are finding time to spend with immediate family that we all too often put off doing. I dare say more have been turning to God lately in prayer than ever. I was sent a virtual hug in Messenger this morning just after I was telling my children that a hug is the first thing I want when all this is over. Those are just a few little ripples from the “This” that’s is so world wide, so fluid in today’s lingo, that I am sure I don’t even have to explain. Covid-19 is famous; a virus gone viral. (Groan) That is, no doubt, a pun that has been grossly overused the past few weeks.

In our home, we’ve adjusted by use of a home haircut; cooking new things and some old favorites to keep it interesting; daily phone calls to Dad and our adult children just to sure they’re OK. We’ve wiped down, locked up and pondered over. We have prayed more, loved much and started our own tomato and cabbage seed pods. We have reassured ourselves in God’s Word that this too shall pass; and if it doesn’t, God is still Lord of our lives.

We’ve sure seen some unexpected ‘firsts’ for our 21st century, like empty grocery shelves with no impending storms; medical appointments being rescheduled for their patients’ safety; NCAA tournament cancelled (way worse than empty store shelves to my kids and me!) Also there have been alterations in how we do what we can still do, such as exchanging boxed meals for empty tables at Soup For The Soul, where people once met for sit-down meals; no indoor dining in restaurants, with take-out or delivery only; elbow bumping instead of hand shakes, and now keeping six feet apart instead of the elbow bumping. Distancing from others and hoarding necessities sound like subjects for a sermon on selfishness instead of survival. But the one change that has me distressed is the absence of public worship. For the first time in my life, and even most likely in my parents’ lives, there was no public assembly to attend today. I have so many thoughts on that, that I cannot even put them all into one post; plus I would lose you dear reader in the dust of a lengthy one-gal-opinion thesis.  With a former career in nursing, I certainly understand the wisdom in blocking transmission; but it makes me sad. I cannot help wondering what God thinks of it. Hang with me now – I make no judgements either way; I am just processing thoughts.  The scriptures on assembling and fear, such as Hebrews 10:24-25, Psalm 27:1 and Matthew 10:28 come to mind as clearly as the verses on grace, mercy and Matthew 12:3-8. I especially needed to be reminded of the last one. God is looking for the heart, not the house; fulfilling needs, not a law. It has been good for me to meditate on these things, realizing how much I depend on organized religion to do my part in my own Christian responsibility.

Thank you elders, for providing the means to see and hear lessons from God’s Word from home. Thank you preachers for the diligence in study and presenting those lessons. Thank you to my brother-in-law for remembering the Lord’s Supper components for communion at home.  But I already miss my church family. I miss the organized song and prayer service. I miss the freshness of children’s faces and the preacher’s bow tie. I miss passing gum to the pew behind me. I miss the satisfaction after worship time that I see on my husbands’s face; a peace that he never got to have as a youngster. Thank you Father God for the opportunities all my life for worshipping freely and abundantly; and for this opportunity to see what it might be like if that were taken from me.

After fighting a virus, the body can become stronger, gaining more resistance to infection and earning itself new immunities. I pray that God will guide us safely through to shut this virus down, and find a cure or immunization against Covid-19. May we use this time to “go viral” with similar qualities at heart – strength, resilience and the capacity to find new blessings every day. Wash your hands!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV)