Part of maintaining hope and peace is by having faith. Having faith, not in your circumstances, but in God and His sovereignty.
It’s easy for one to tell someone to stay encouraged and to not lose hope. But when your world is shaken with schedules disturbed, social life halted, plans interrupted, and fear around every corner, it’s hard to maintain hope. Especially when all we see in the news, in social media, in our circumstances, have hopelessness written all over.
The good news is we do have hope offered to us as believers. A hope that nothing can touch. No circumstance. No uncertainty. No coronavirus. The Bible offers countless promises.
Now—is a life with no hardship, no death, no pain, no betrayal, no disease, no heartache promised to us? No. For sin entered the world with Adam and Eve falling to the temptations of sin dating back to the first book of the Bible in Genesis 2-3. But what is offered through our Savior’s crucifixion on the cross is a life of peace and hope through our faith in God. John 16:33 Jesus says, “in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world… that in Me you may have peace.”
There is nothing we can do to remove the pain in this world, nor anything we can do to prevent pain from occurring. Bad things are going to happen, this we know for certain. But I’d rather go through them with the right person and cling to that hope than try to navigate them on my own.
How the Enemy Wants You to Hope
Part of maintaining hope and peace is by having faith. Having faith, not in your circumstances, but in God and His sovereignty. For He knows all things, past, present, and future (Romans 11:33). The coronavirus is no surprise to Him, as He’s in total control.
The enemy wants us to put our hope in our feelings. But as we all know, our feelings can go from one feeling to the next in seconds, depending on our circumstances around us. If we are tied to the outcomes of our circumstances, we will always be wavering with our hope, as our circumstances constantly change. Perhaps we try to trust in our own knowledge of our circumstance, but that often fails us. Or we trust the news media or government to provide hope and a cure for the coronavirus, but that also fails us as it seems to be constantly changing from day to day.
Thankfully, we serve an unchangeable God in a world that is always changing. For “He is the same, today, yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We can’t tie our hope to our feelings, rather we must tie it to our faith in God. This coronavirus might not feel good, but we can rest on the truth that our God who sees it is good.
Let’s stand on and put our hope on the truth of His word, not the truth of the world.
A Promise of No More Tears
The beauty in the midst of the coronavirus, is that it’s not going to last forever. Revelation 21:4 is one of the many verses I tend to cling to during trialing times such as the one we are living in: “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying…no more pain.”
We can rest in the hope in this beautiful promise. We must remind ourselves to adopt a kingdom perspective viewing life with the coronavirus through God’s lens, and not our own. It’s remembering that He knows the beginning and He knows the end. We’re here to help build His Kingdom in Heaven here on earth in this messy middle path, as His vessels. It’s not our job to figure it all out, but rather stay hopeful in Him and rest our hope that this is all a part of His story, and it won’t last forever. We have a future hope waiting for us. One day, it will all be over.
God Will Use the Coronavirus for His Good
Even though what we see now is full of despair, God will use it all for good in His greater story. Romans 8:28 says “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called, according to His purposes”. This verse does not affirm that all things are good or that all things work together for good for all people. Rather, the great promise is that God will overrule and work even through the tragedies cased by sin’s presence in the word to accomplish His purpose in the lives of those who love Him.
Losing a job, friend, family member, your privacy, your schedule, and anything else you’ve felt you lost during this time can be devastating. But have hope today, that despite what we see, despise what we feel with all the news headlines always changing, that God is in control and knows the ending to this horrific story and one day, the pain from all of this, will be over. He will use this all for good in His timing and for His glory. Let’s rest in this future hope!
A Prayer for Hope during the Coronavirus
Father God,
Oh, how we thank you for not leaving us empty-handed. For not leaving us here on this earth to try to navigate our way through life’s messy middle path alone. Thank you for leaving us with the Bible which is “active, it is living, and powerful sharper than any two-edged sword”. (Hebrews 4:12) Its full of words spoken and breathed on directly by you. (2 Timothy 3:16) Thank you that we can stand on the hope that your word is true and that you are in control. Thank you that even though what we see in front of us, and we feel all around us doesn’t feel good, that you are good.
We don’t have to understand the purpose behind our world turning upside down this year because of the coronavirus. For what we do understand, is that “your ways are higher than our ways, and your thoughts are higher than ours” (Isaiah 55:8). You are completely and totally in control and you know how this story ends. We are so grateful today that we serve a God, the God of the universe, that knows the beginning from the end, and who leads the way on our side.
We thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us, giving us victory over death thousands of years ago. We worship a God of victory, and there is no greater hope than that. Some put their hope and “trust in chariots and horses, but we put our trust in the name of You” (Psalm 20:7). We choose today to not put our trust in the news, in the opinion of others, in politics, or even what our eyes can see. We choose to put our hope in you. A hope that lasts forever, as this world will one day pass away, you remain the same.
Please give us the strength to fix our focus and our eyes on you. To take all our feelings and fears to the foot of the cross. We ask that the Holy Spirit prompt us when we are relying on the truth of the world, and not the truth of your word. Help us to walk in the spirit, and not in our flesh. Bring Scripture to memory when we at times are feeling hopeless. Guide us through this season of the coronavirus and all the change happening around us. Give us hope in you and the power to share the hope of you to those around us. May our light shine through allowing others to be drawn to the light. Give us courage today to stand in what we cannot see and trust the One who sees it all. We love you; we praise you, and we put our faith and hope in you, knowing that you and you alone have everything in the palm of your mighty hands.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Tgordievskaya
Alisha Headley is a writer + speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Stepping into her true calling, she left the corporate world behind as a former-financial VP to love on her family as a stay-at-home wifey + dog mama, while also being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom + power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s word. In her free time, Alisha enjoys road trips around the country, working out so she can eat her favorite foods, and creatively styling her outfits with a craft for fashion. Alisha is a proud wifey and dog mama living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram.
This article is part of our prayer resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
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Prayers for Strength to Use in Difficult Times
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Prayers for Anxiousness
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