The Real Sustainer

Before The pandemic made us shelter in place

I usually sought out stuff with which to participate or be entertained

Thought it was needed for a healthy mind to be sustained

As socialization and entertainment help relieve stress and strain

 

I would say If it wasn’t for these activities to do or events to attend

So boring would be the time I spend

Idle time would let negative thoughts creep in

Like thinking on past mistakes or some type of sin

 

And now that in-person recreation and entertainment has disappeared

God has let me know the real sustainer is Him

He is providing everything I need

And showing me other ways to occupy my mind and keep busy

And I’m still connected to thing I used to do

Thanks to new online avenues

 

It reminds me of the words in Psalm 37:25

…I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread…

Stuff I thought was keeping me, were a false sense of security

It is God that keeps,  He’s the real sustainer of my needs.

Be Still, Be Calm, And Know That God Is God

Years ago, at a family funeral
Just about everyone was weeping and crying out of control
Except two relatives who happened to be the oldest
They sat in the front, calm and just about emotionless
And It baffled my mind
How can they be so calm during such an emotional time?

As years went on, occasionally unexpected tragedies would strike
Not only in the world in general, but at times in my life
And slowly I began to understand why they were so calm
They knew that life would put you in situations in which you were so helpless
There’s no point in getting upset and restless
Just, be still, and know that God is God (Psalm 46:10)

In all the world tragedies I’ve seen
It’s been nothing like the effects of Covid-19
9/11 was so shocking
I thought how come USA couldn’t prevent it from happening?
Yet, it was limited to one country
And I saw the country’s recovery
In 2008 I saw the housing and financial markets crash
And too the country recovered from that

But I’ve never seen so many worldwide deaths overnight
And disease spread so quickly and wide
To foreigners, countries have closed their borders
Governments have issued “stay in the house” orders
Some folk have panicked and become hoarders
Businesses that catered to our recreational and essential needs
Have ceased operating
And there’s nothing anyone can do
Except, be still and know that God is God

Gotta be still, have no choice
Can’t stop pandemics or nature when they yield their uncontrollable force
It’s God wielding His power and voice
And proving the fullness of the earth is still the Lord’s

Yet be calm and know
That the same God who kept us during the other tragedies
Is still full of grace and mercy
He’s the same God who loved us so much (1 John 4:9-10)
For the forgiveness of our sins
He gave us His Jesus Christ His only begotten Son
I’ve experienced the miraculous healing power of Jesus
And I know from this pandemic He will heal us
Be still, be calm and know that with prayerful hands
God will hear us from heaven and heal the land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Emergency Call

By the number of missed calls and voicemails received
Somebody just died, it had to be
Why else would the calls within the hour be so many
Waited till I sat down somewhere to respond
Got to get prepared for which relative is gone

Didn’t even listen to voicemails, just returned one of the calls
Asked what was this emergency, that got me full of nervous energy
A lot of money is needed-urgently
The amount substantial, and I didn’t have on me
So, went to ATM reluctantly

Wish they told me days ago about this money need
But then I thought,
This emergency call is actually a blessing
Although a hole in the budget it will leave
I’ll survive because I won’t have to grieve
I’m just thanking God everyone’s well and alive
Money can be replaced, life cannot
So, I quit complaining and started thanking God for the call I got.

Scripture Reference:
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7