DAY 4 - FLIP FLOP
Zach Atwood, Events & Operations Team Lead
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." James 1:5
I don’t know about you, but my brain is constantly flipping and flopping with this whole COVID-19 thing. I keep going from “It’s not that bad, the media is hyping this up,” to “This is actually bad, oh my goodness, do we have enough supplies to get us through the year?!” My brain keeps jumping from one end of the spectrum to the other, and I keep going from a place of fear to a place of “rationality.” All of this back and forth in my mind is leading me further and further into confusion and wreaking havoc in my thought life.
So how do we get out of this back-and-forth mind game? How can we do what’s best in a season like this? We look to His word and ask for wisdom. In times of indecision and uncertainty, I’ve always gone back to what God says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
First things first; what exactly is wisdom and how does it differ from knowledge? Wisdom is not just acquired information, but it is practical insight with spiritual implications. It’s not just a “yes” or “no” answer from God, it’s a revelation over your situation. Wisdom is not another news article or a statistic, nor is it another Facebook story from crazy aunt Karen; wisdom is thoughts and notions from our Lord on whatever we actively present to Him.
We need to begin taking the unknown of today and presenting it to our Lord for guidance.
We need to start asking Him, what is best for Your people in a season like this? Can you give me a view of what is happening and what I should do? What can I learn from You in this season? What can I do to keep others safe? What can we do as the church to support those around us? Can You cut out the noise all around me? Will You provide me with Your wisdom, practical insight and spiritual guidance?
What will the response be?
Fear will answer, “Panic buy. Isolate yourself not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and socially. Read every morsel of news you find and cling to it.”
Ignorance will answer, “It’s not that bad out there. You can keep those plans. People will find jobs again. It’s not our problem that others are getting sick.”
Wisdom will answer, “Listen to Him in all things. Stay cautious. Protect yourself so you can protect others from this illness. He will provide ways for you to support those around you. Trust your leaders and pray for them. Believe the Lord has given them insight. Keep His commands.”
We get to choose the answer we listen to, but we can trust that the wisdom is from God because His word says so. However, there is a catch with seeking wisdom; we have to believe that God can provide. “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6.
YA, let’s pray for wisdom, let’s believe He will provide wisdom, and let’s act on wisdom.