It has been a difficult season for a multitude of people. Due to COVID-19, life as we know it has changed. The freedoms we have come to enjoy have been severely restricted or disappeared altogether because of Stay-At-Home and Shelter-In-Place orders. Satan has used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to instill fear, anxiety, despair, and frustration in the hearts of many—including believers.
I must admit that as the days have gone by, I have wondered when will this all be over. When will life as I know it go back to normal? When will my life begin again? I have battled to overcome the waves of despair, anxiety, and frustration.
During one of those bouts, the Lord ministered to me. As I was driving, a song by Matt Maher titled Alive & Breathing came on the radio. The lyrics of the first verse of the chorus came through the speakers:
Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you’re still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
When I heard the second line of the chorus: “Hope still walks with the hurting,” my eyes began to swell with tears. The Lord was telling me, as He has been for some time, that He is with me. And I want to tell you that the God of hope, all comfort, and peace is with you too. No matter where you are or what you are going through, God sees you. He knows exactly where you are. He knows what you need. He knows how to get it to you. He is right by your side walking with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you but will deliver you and bring you out victorious.
God, speaking through that song, gave me the strength and comfort I needed to continue on in faith. As the week past, the song stuck with me. So much so, this past Saturday as I was starting my day the Lord brought it back to my mind. I turned on the song and started singing it. This time, I was filled with so much hope and joy as the second verse of the chorus came through the speakers:
Don’t stop dancing and dreaming
There’s still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord
I started jumping around like I was in a mosh pit—a holy one of course! I sang the song as loud as I could as I danced around—probably looking like a kid on Christmas morning who had received every present he or she wanted. In that moment, the Lord was speaking, and the message was loud and clear: Don’t stop dancing and singing. Although things may look bleak in the natural, don’t let the enemy steal your joy and belief that God will work all things together for your good. Don’t throw off your confidence. Jesus is our salvation, and we can trust in His promises.
As you look around at your circumstances, you may not see much to dance and sing about in the natural. I’m sure King Jehoshaphat thought the same thing when he was told that a great multitude was coming against him and all of Judah. The situation looked dismal and insurmountable. However, King Jehoshaphat did what we must do during this time: seek the Lord. We need to remind ourselves of the God we serve.
We need to remind ourselves that God Almighty is our Father. He is the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything that is in them. We are His children, made in His image and according to His likeness. He so loved us that He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. We have been reconciled to our Father because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. “He that did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32).
We have the heart of the King—Jesus Christ. And everything, including COVID-19, is under His feet (See Ephesians 1:22 or 1 Corinthians 15:27). “He is far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1: 21).
So, let us remember who God is. Let us remember how He has delivered us and our families in the past. If He did it then, He will do it again. Isn’t that what King Jehoshaphat believed? He sought the Lord, recounting the victories God had won for Israel. He confessed that he, and all of Judah, were powerless against the armies that were coming against them. He humbled himself and said God we need you and we look to you to save us.
As God does when you pray, He heard King Jehoshaphat and answered him: “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you” (2 Chronicles 20:15,17).
The next morning, King Jehoshaphat and the inhabitants of Judah went out to the battle singing and praising the Lord. They didn’t bring weapons because they knew that their Sword, Shield and Strength was with them and for them (See Psalm 28:7). They positioned themselves in a posture of praise and thanksgiving. Scripture tells us that when Judah started singing, God set ambushes against the people that were coming against them (See 2 Chronicles 20:22). When God saw and heard their faith, He saved them. Judah’s enemies destroyed each other. God won the victory and Judah got the spoils!
We are all facing a battle right now. However, we can choose how we go into it. Are we going to humble ourselves and seek the Lord? Are we going to remember who He is and what He has done? Are we going to believe that He can do it once again? I don’t know about you, but I’m choosing to go out into the battle dancing and singing—knowing that the God who always has the victory is with me and for me. I hope that you will join me and make sure you bring a tambourine! 🙂
True Love's Revelation 