By Pastor J. Leroy Wimbush
Fresh Harvest Christian Church (D.O.C.)
The events over the past few months have caused us stress, uncertainty, doubt, and anxiety. For those that have been used to getting out, mingling with family and friends, the past few months have been what some might say “imprisonment.” There have been financial challenges and there have been spiritual challenges.
For a great number of people, Sunday morning was the time to go to the House of God. We would get our Sunday apparel ready on Saturday night so that we could get to church on time. We would gather with other believers, forsaking not the gathering of the saints, and we would sing, lift–up the name of Jesus and Worship. Now, we are limited to the number of people that we can have in church on Sunday morning; we must wear masks and social distance. For some, church is in the bed, on the couch, in the recliner while watching the Word being delivered via the internet. It was a bit of a struggle to get used to the idea that the church building was on lock down and then limited to the number of people that could be in attendance. Chaos reared its ugly head for the elderly that were not computer savvy or for those that resist change. But, during these difficult times when we have had to find alternative methods to worship God together, we still have peace.
You will find in the Book of Isaiah, 26th chapter, verses 3 through 4 (NLT), “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you. All whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” In this portion of scripture, the Prophet Isaiah is letting us know that we can have peace. If we seek to have the mind of Christ, who is the King of Peace, we have our mind stayed on Him. We have our mind focused upon, fixed upon, the peace that God provides. To place our trust and our faith in Jesus brings about perfect peace. We can have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ; Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” We have to trust Him; Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Trust in the Lord for perfect peace. To have this perfect peace, our minds cannot come to the Lord every now and then; it must be stayed on Him.
“Trust in the Lord always for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” Two words in this passage I want to emphasize, always and eternal. By definition, always means continually; there is no end to it. Eternal is beyond existence. Trust in the Lord continually. He will be with us beyond our existence, the generation after us and so on and so on. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us. Again, I say, trust in the Lord for perfect peace.
We do not know when we will be able to resume Sunday morning worship like we knew it this time last year. We do not know when we will be able to greet our brothers and sister in Christ with a hug. We do not know when we will be able to fill the House of God. What we do know is that we must remain faithful; trust and believe God. We must pray, seek His face daily, trust Him and keep our minds stayed on Him. It is by doing these things that we will have peace in difficult times.
