Climbing Above the Crisis

By Debby Thompson Published on March 22, 2020

Playing high in the tree house with my grand-darlings made the coronavirus feel distant and diminished. Swinging comfortably in the hammock, listening to the rain fall softly on the tin roof, and planning wistfully for an outdoor sleepover bolstered my Gammy-heart above the crisis, chaos, and confusion of our altered lives.

Ahhh, if only …

Alas, one cannot live in a tree house forever, and I eventually needed to return to our worried world. At dusk, I gingerly climbed backwards, down the narrow ladder to our coronavirus earth and the absorbing challenges we face.

God’s Secure Refuge

However, God has provided for you and me, His beloved children, a far more secure refuge than even my tree house hideaway. Rather than leaving us nervous, scared, and confused, He invites us into an eternally secure shelter in the strong and sturdy branches of His glorious Word.

Come — climb the ladder with me and rest in the soothing, sanitized certainty that only He can guarantee. Climbing Above the Crisis, we read:

“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4 NIV).

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2 NIV).

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV).

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17,18 NIV).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB).

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NASB).

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

So going forward,

“May we continue to prioritize our intimacy with Jesus. May the Word be our source of perspective, and communication with the Father our source of comfort and strength.” Steve Sellers, Cru National Director

 

Debby Thompson, author of The Leader’s Wife, Living With Eternal Intentionality®, is an award-winning writer and speaker. Debby and her husband Larry have served in global missions with Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) since 1974, and are counted among the pioneering Western missionaries who lived covertly behind the Iron Curtain in communist Poland. They and their three children were witnesses to a period of dramatic social, political and spiritual change. Now living in Cincinnati, Debby serves on the Global Leadership Council of Athletes in Action International, the sports ministry of Cru. An active grandmother of six, she is also a sought-after author, speaker, and mentor for women around the world. Debby blogs at DebbyThompson.com. You may mail her at [email protected].

Originally published at DebbyThompson.com. Reprinted with permission.

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