Peace in the midst of a pandemic

The other Sunday in church, one of the fellows made the comment that in a time like we are now going through in our society, we need two things: sanity and certainty. He went on to say he didn’t even want to turn on TV news anymore because of some of the insane things happening in our world.

I agreed with him on the insanity part: protests, riots and all sorts of what I consider craziness going on, especially with our neighbours to the south (where they are just amping up for their Presidential elections in November; I hate to think what will will happen after the election, no matter which candidate wins…)

There’s another aspect that is a great factor in the upset of today and that is the anxiety level of so many. Stats Canada recently released the results of a survey dealing with Canadians’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. From April 24 to May 11, 2020, approximately 46,000 Canadians participated in an online questionnaire, “Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians: Your mental health.” They referred to a statement by the Secretary General of the United Nations that the mental health and wellbeing of societies have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They reported that most (88%) participants said they had experienced at least one symptom of anxiety in the two weeks prior to completing the survey. “Feeling nervous, anxious or on edge” was the most commonly reported symptom (71%), followed by “becoming easily annoyed or irritable” (69%) and “trouble relaxing” (64%).

The other day, I myself received a phone call asking me to participate in a survey on the pandemic, where one of the questions asked related to anxiety. On a scale of one to five, I was to rate my anxiety level from very low to very high. My response was that it was a one.

My reason for giving that answer was because of the second thing that fellow at church stated that our society today needs: certainty. And I have that. And it comes from belief in God and what it says in the Bible about fear: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

The reason we do not have fear but rather peace in a time of pandemic is because we are convince that God is total control of what happens on planet earth. We read of that control in the Book of Job in the Bible: “For God is so wise and so mighty…  If He commands it, the sun won’t rise and the stars won’t shine. He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.” Job 9:4-8. That control includes pandemics.

One time, Jesus was in a boat with His disciples on the Sea of Galillee. A huge storm came up and threatened to swamp the boat. Jesus “got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. The disciples were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!’” 

It’s that same Jesus who brings us peace, especially at a time like this He promises: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

May that be your experience too, during this pandemic.

Henry Ozirney was the founding pastor of New Life Church in Stonewall, where he served from 1970 until he retired in 2014. He is currently Interim Pastor at New Life Church in Teulon, Manitoba. He can be reached at [email protected] or 204-461-1105.