This too will pass.
Another lockdown, more plans thrown out the window. This time of stress is stretching out well into its second year. As I woke to another day of not being sure of what I could or would be allowed to do, my heart cried, ‘this seems as if it’s going to go on forever’.
God said, what did your mother tell you was the most common phrase in the Bible?
“And it came to pass,” was my reply.
And so, it will!
Remember how people thought that World War II would be over by Christmas? They had to wait six years for it to end, and yet, it came to pass. How many times during those six years did people make the same cry of ‘how long, Oh Lord?’
When God created the world, He created seasons: Summer, Winter, Autumn, and Spring. He gave us similar seasons in life, babyhood, childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age. All these seasons have their purpose, and so it is with life. There are the good times and the bad times.
Do you say that nature has abandoned itself in the winter season? No, we know that it is preparing for Spring? If we accuse God of abandoning us in the bad times, we are saying that He isn’t God, because those seasons in our lives are there to help us grow in faith, compassion, and as a community.
Romans 8:28 says:
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
I have to remember that this verse says: ALL THINGS. It doesn’t say that good things work, it means all things, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Yes, it’s hard to see how, but one day we will. Yes, this season may have to pass before we can, but as God reminded me this morning, this too will pass.
Prayer: Lord, help us to understand You are with us in the good, the bad, and the ugly of our world. Remind us constantly that nothing on earth will last forever, and that includes this season of stress, sickness, and hardship. Help us to grow in the good things that You would want for us: faith, compassion, and a connected community. Amen.
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