This summer has been hard. Not to sound depressing or overdramatic, but I genuinely cannot think of a day that I did not experience at least a little worry. Of course, some days were better than others, but nevertheless, they all had one thing in common: COVID-19.
I know. We're all sick of hearing about COVID-19. I am right there with you. But even though we're all over it, the world isn't. We are still in this pandemic. We are still fighting this disease that no one seems to know anything about, and to add to all of the stress we already have, school is about to start. For some, it already has.
Some are relieved, some are terrified, and for others, they are nervous about the changes but also excited to see a bit of normal return. To be honest, for the most part, I have mostly (if not completely) fallen into the terrified category.
Only one of my classes is face to face, but due to the timing, that one class will require me to be on campus for two of my online classes as well. In normal circumstances, I would obviously prefer going to college in person, but these are anything but normal circumstances.
Online learning is not ideal. I will admit that. This past semester working from home made it so hard to stay motivated, but at least I felt safe from the virus. This semester, I won't have that sense of security, and it's hard to think about.
Whether I want to admit it or not, this summer I kept wondering in the back of my mind what God was doing. I wanted Him to fix it. I wanted Him to rescue me, and by "rescue," I meant end COVID-19 or put all of my classes online. So far, neither has happened, and up until today, this has been so discouraging for me.
Today, I opened the Word up to Daniel 3. A story we all know from our Sunday School days, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
We know what happens, King Nebuchadnezzar commands that all bow to a golden statue, 3 Hebrew men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refuse, and consequently, they are thrown into a fiery furnace. The story doesn't end there though. They make it out of the fire without even a burn on them, and while only three men were thrown in, there were four in there: the fourth being Jesus Himself.
As I was reading this passage of Scripture today, I was reminded that sometimes we are faced with scary circumstances. A fiery furnace is scary, period. It's even scarier when it's turned up 7 times hotter than usual (v.19). A pandemic is scary too. It's even scarier when you're forced into a small area with thousands of other people. If it's all so scary, you may be wondering, "Well, Leslie, where is the silver lining then?"
The silver lining is this, "He answered and said, 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God'" (Daniel 3:25).
There is a quote I am sure a lot of us have seen on Facebook a time or two, "Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, God didn't put out the fire He just put Jesus in there with them. It's not about God 'putting out your fires' it's about who is in there with you."
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego could have responded in fear. They could've bowed out of sheer fear. But they didn't. They knew what it could cost them, but Jesus was worth it to them. They would rather die than bow to idols and bow to fear.
It's not looking like a cure for COVID-19 is coming before August 19th, and it's not looking like I will be going to school completely online either. Despite that, I will be okay. I am safer on UT's campus with thousands of other people around me during a pandemic with Jesus by my side than I would be without Him in self isolation with no pandemic.
Last week, I listened to a message from Sevier Heights, and Pastor Jonathan Phillips said something along the lines of "Do you want to feel safe? Well, He is safety." After hearing that, I felt like the Holy Spirit spoke to me that He is the only safe place. I won't feel truly safe anywhere but in His presence.
If you're worried about this upcoming school year, whether you are a student, teacher, staff member, parent, etc., I understand where you're coming from. The threat is there, just like it was in the fiery furnace, but the very same God who went into those flames with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego is going into a pandemic with you. God may not always take you out of the scary situation, but He will always go right in there with you. The fire is real, but so is God.
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