Life on the Pasture

Have you ever had one of those dreams during which you’re trying to run away from someone but can’t move? The feeling of being paralyzed with fear often awakens me with a jolt. When I come to my senses, I am always very thankful that it was just a dream. Unfortunately, not everyone who is paralyzed by fear can simply dismiss it by saying, “It was just a dream.” One of the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic is the increase in mental health issues, including anxiety and paranoia. And while it may seem too simplistic an answer to the growing problem, one cannot discount the impact of isolation and constant attention to the news media

I keep going back to a statement I made in a sermon on March 15 as the spread of the virus was starting to cause a great deal of concern: “Don’t let the voice of the world drown out the voice of the Lord.” We can easily judge if we’re letting that happen by doing a quick check of how much time we’re spending in the Word and prayer, as well as listening to Christian music and the wisdom of good Christian friends as opposed to watching the news, listening to talk radio, and listening to “secular” music and wisdom. There is nothing wrong with those activities, but when they begin to consume our thoughts and affect our attitudes, the voice of our Lord is being drowned out. And when His voice is drowned out, we miss that which is truly important and can bring us peace and confidence in the midst of a world calling us to be afraid because no solution has yet arrived.

Over the past few months, I have also been going back quite a bit to the account of the prophet Elijah who was filled with fear as he ran away from Queen Jezebel who wanted to kill him. Elijah ended up spending the night in a cave on Mt. Horeb. We read: A great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  (1 Kings 19:11–13, NIV)

If you are unable to hear the gentle whisper of the Lord, there is too much cluttered noise around you — noise that wants to paralyze you with fear by keeping you from hearing the One who says, “Come to Me.” The challenges of this life are no mere dream that can be easily dismissed. But they are under the control of Almighty God who never slumbers or sleeps and knows how to care for those who would follow Him. So, as Martin Luther says in his morning and evening prayers, “Into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul and all things.” And if the Lord’s hands were stretched out on a cross for us, those hands are the best place for us to be.

– Pastor Schmidt