Recently for my creative writing class I was asked to reflect on the importance of writing and creating through times like these – unprecedented and life changing times. My response was to go on as normal – write what you feel, paint what you feel, draw what you feel, bake what you feel.
That being said, I think we are all aware that the weight of what we do is heavier these days. There are implications to everything we used to do without thinking. Going shopping, inviting people over, eating out – all have become significant decisions.
Along with that, there’s more weight to what I write. I hope to encourage people today but also be able to look back at this time and read about how God was working. I heard a friend said yesterday that in a few months, we will be able to look back and see what God was doing. If anything, that’s a good reminder that this is not forever.
I have a note in my phone that I’ve been adding to the last few weeks whenever I liked a verse, lyric, or quote that I heard and so I’m going to share some of those today.
So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.
And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:14
I’m working on naming this place, this quarantine, this unexpected spring, this being home, this social distance – The Lord Will Provide. We are called to name all our places that, really. What are you lacking? How can you trust God to provide it?
Let our praises remind all the darkness, of how great and how mighty out God is.
The battle belongs to the Lord and no one else.
We’ll sing Hallelujah for all hell to hear.
“Marching On”, Rend Collective
These specific lyrics in this song stood out to me because I forget that there is a fundamental imbalance of power. Good tips the scale overwhelmingly in its favor. Hell trembles at the thought of God, and so we should proclaim his name even more in this time.
The weapon may be formed, but it won’t prosper
When the darkness falls, it won’t prevail
‘Cause the God I serve knows only how to triumph
My God will never fail.
You take what the enemy meant for evil and You turn it for good.
“See A Victory,” Elevation Worship
THIS SONG. “The weapon may be formed“- ya I’d say the coronavirus is pretty formed and a working weapon. “but it won’t prosper“- this is a promise of God, if you’re looking at the world right now, there isn’t certainty. I’m holding onto what God says, and he says the weapon will not overtake us. “the God I serve knows only how to triumph“- Like I said, the scale is tipped, God wins every time. “My God will never fail“- another promise, and a hard one to believe sometimes. I’m working on leaning into that one.
On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
This is from an old hymn, and right now it’s easy for everyone to see how the ground we stand on in sinking sand. The jobs, the work, the sports, the routines – everything we tried to build our lives on has been stripped away. Standing in sinking sand is a great way to explain how a lot of us feel. You can get out of sinking sand, it’s not a leading cause of death, however, there’s still a tiny chance you don’t get out. We will get out of this pandemic okay, but there’s still the fear that we won’t or someone we love won’t.
Even looking at the news, it sometimes makes me feel I’m sinking in sand. But I can choose to stand on the rock, to lean on Christ who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The stats change, the medical advice changes, heck the virus will change – but my God does not.
In Young Life, a question along the lines of “What consumes your life and does it love you back?” is often asked. I think part of the reason this pandemic has been so hard is because in an instant, we learned what consumes us, doesn’t love us back. Inanimate things cannot love us back, we’ve been left to find the rock in the midst of the sinking sand.
If the wind goes where you send it, so will I.
“So Will I (100 Billion X)”, Hillsong United
A few months ago, I was singing this song over my campus, with my friends, as we prayed about what ministry we were called to. We began to prepare our hearts for what we thought was coming. And man, we did NOT see this coming. Instead of sending us to our campus or to a high school or middle school to lead, God sent us home. I pray that myself and my college friends are able to be present in our houses and hometowns, even though it is not at all what we planned for the second half of our freshman year.
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.
He named it Ebenezer (stone of help), saying,
“Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
1 Samuel 7:12
Thus far the Lord has helped us. And He will continue to help us. Maybe that’s your prayer today, to ask God to show you how He is helping you.
I hope you look at these verses and maybe listen to a song or two and that it brings you encouragement. One of the few things that has increased in this time has been the online presence of the church. While the NBA, Olympics, and schools had to cancel, pastors were and are working to stream church online and share as much encouragement as possible. Here are some of my favorite people and churches to follow:
- Louie Giglio, Passion City Church (the first person I’d recommend to follow/listen to for college students and anyone who isn’t quite sure what they believe about God)
- Christine Caine
- Fairfax Community Church (my home church, so I’m biased, but especially recommend for people in the northern VA area. Like a lot of churches they have ongoing projects to help those in need if you’re looking to actively help)
- Mike Todd, Transformation Church (Every one of his sermons is fire, so is his instagram. I recommend for anyone with a shorter attention span/ anyone who gets bored listening to sermons because he is one of the most engaging pastors I’ve heard.)
- Annie F Downs (highly recommend her podcast: That Sounds Fun, her instagram is also very positive and uplifting)
Since I live and breath on worship music, here are some more songs I’ve been listening to:
- Upper Room, Hillsong Worship
- Rescue Story, Zach Williams
- The Blessing, Kari Jobe (with Cody Carnes and Elevation Worship)
- There’s Nothing That Our God Can’t Do, Passion
- Way Maker, Leeland
- Bigger Than I Thought, Passion
- Another in the Fire, Hillsong United
- King of Kings, Hillsong Worship
- Our God is in Control, Steven Curtis Chapman
- I Don’t Wanna Go, Chris Renzema
- Highlands (Song of Ascent), Hillsong United
- In Christ Along/ The Solid Rock, Travis Cottrell
- Land of the Living, UPPERROOM
- Graves Into Gardens, Elevation Worship (if you listen to NOTHING ELSE, listen to this)
- Your Name is Power, Rend Collective
That’s all for now, friends. Glad we are all in this together.
Gracie Girl Blog 
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