Wings

"He will cover you with his pinions,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler."
Psalm 91:4 (ESV)

Not for a second did I ever imagine that when I write the first blog post of the 2020, we'd be faced with a situation such as the current Covid-19 crisis (or rather pandemic).

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in the car and listening to the news. The first report was that a few people from a company south of Munich had contracted the virus. At first, I thought this wasn't going to cause any further problems. As of today, there are approx. 100,000 cases in Germany.

We've been given strict guidelines how to act in these times. Many refer to this as 'lockdown', because people are generally encouraged to stay at home. It really does feel like we're in one of those apocalyptic blockbuster movies (e.g. Contagion).

Speaking about Contagion: the tagline of that movie was 'Nothing Spreads Like Fear'. Can you imagine?

9 years later, we are all faced with a very important question:

How do we respond to a situation that is literally wreaking havoc on everything that we've taken for granted?

There are plenty of people who are making use of this scenario and promoting their own ideas, philosophies, opinions etc. I guess by writing this blog I'm part of that crowd too.

But I'm not here to prescribe anything to you. Of course fear is the worst response anyone could have in the face of danger. However, it is a natural response. The 'Fight or Flight' is ingrained in us and we're often told that we inevitably succumb to the way nature has shaped us as human beings.

I find it strange that we're only given two options. Let's look at the practical implications in this crisis:

FIGHT 

There are people who have actively gone out to get themselves infected. There are even Corona Virus Parties, so that a whole group can be infected. You can think what you like about these responses, but the real fight is happening in hospitals and intensive care units, where real people are struggling for their lives. Thousands have already died, and at this point, it is simply beyond foolish to think that it's fine to go about business as usual.

Why be part of the problem, when you have the chance to be part of the solution?

FLIGHT 

There are those that have holed themselves in...trembling with fear...sleeping on a huge stash of toilet paper. People have become paranoid and don't trust anybody. It's every woman and man for themselves, in their point of view. Our neighbours actually put a note on their door, telling people that they won't open up, unless it's an emergency. Again: Can you imagine this? Could anybody imagine this?

The extreme flight response is not helping anybody either. We have the power to make things worse than they are by the way we choose to respond. Especially through social media! YOU have it in your hands to either make a positive impact in this dire situation or risk behaving like a fool.

WISDOM

In the Book of Proverbs, Christians are instructed in the way of the Wise and the way of the Fool. In a time like this, we must rely on heavenly wisdom more than ever to prevent Satan, the fool above all fools, to push us away from God.

When you're in God and you truly trust Him, then you know that He is your refuge - no matter what happens. I love the imagery of God's wings covering us. Of course, aren't the wings of a predatory bird. They aren't even angel's wings. By trusting God, we are in the protective care of the almighty creator of heaven and earth.

The enemy will always try to convince us that God's promises aren't true. He will misconstrue God's words spoken to us. He will takes God's affirmation and turn it into condemnation.

But Jesus came in order to take away all condemnation. It's something that is incredibly difficult to fathom - that Jesus fully redeemed us. What could be better than that?

In this Holy Week leading up to Easter, I'm grateful to have received a reminder from God - through His beautiful creation like that kestrel - that He is still in control and I and my family are safe under His wings of amazing grace.

May God also remind you in whatever situation you find yourself that He's greater than anything you're facing. Keep your eyes on the horizon - whether you're in the valley or on the mountain top!