Pillars

A few weeks ago, the numbers of confirmed new cases of COVID 19 in our province plummeted. I had gotten into the practice of checking our numbers once a day. I celebrated a little when the count went down from the day before. When it went up I got concerned. We had peaked at something like 315 cases in one day. Then it kept going down; 200; 100; 65; 40; 19 and finally 7. I remember thinking at that point, “It looks like we’ve almost beaten this thing. We could be COVID free by the summer."

Then the numbers started going back up. 20, 30, 45, 60 on one day. Most of these new cases were in my region. The southern part of our province had been hardest hit. Now we saw increases in our area. So though we have entered phase 2 of our relaunch, there is renewed concern about the numbers and daily average trending upward again.

So how can we approach this? Well I recently read somewhere a question that went something like this.

“Do you put your faith in outcomes or God?” That stuck with me. It has come up again and again in conversations with others and in reflection on my own life.

I was putting my faith in outcomes when it came to our provinces COVID 19 numbers. Yet, trusting in a certain outcome is a shaky foundation for our faith. I have very little control over the numbers of COVID 19 cases in our province. The only thing I can control is my own action and precautions. I can’t control the actions of 4 million others. I can certainly work towards attaining certain outcomes in my work or home life. But even there, many factors can hinder or block my way.

How different when we place our faith in the Lord rather than an outcome. Then, whether the case count goes up or down, the object of our faith remains secure. In Psalm 75:3, God speaks to this:

“When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep stead the pillars.” (ESV)

Or “When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold the pillars firm.” (NIV)

God is in control. God is the one who holds the foundations of the earth. No matter what outcomes we experience, a faith in Him rests on a solid foundation. So think about this in other areas of life – we hope for a certain outcome in our marriage; with our children; in a relationship; at our work; with our health; with a loved one’s health; for a loved one’s salvation. There is nothing wrong with working towards such desired outcomes.

But we rest our faith in the Lord to bring the necessary outcome in His time and way. Then with that faith, we can go forward each day with less disappointment and discouragement and more hope and faith.

“Thank you God that you hold steady the foundation of our world and our lives. Continue to teach us to trust in you and not some outcome. Help us to discover more of your beauty, wisdom and perfect timing for whatever we face today.”