Middle Ground

• We’d love to include new faces each Sunday on our live stream with a pre-recorded testimony. This could be about how God is working in this time, how you've been encouraged in the Lord, how God is changing your loves and lives, or how He is bringing glory to Jesus through us to other people. Do you have a story to share?

The question was posed in our life group and through our church email this week. We are in a season where a lot of questions are being asked and not a lot of answers are being given.
The questions in our family have included:

“When can we go see our friends and family?”

“When can school and church start again?”

“What’s going to happen tomorrow, next month or even next year?”

“Are we going to be okay”

“When will things go back to normal”

“Is this our new normal?”

“Do we laugh or do we cry?”

“Should we feel bad for feeling a certain way?”

The bottom two questions have been on my heart lately. I am more of a happy go lucky person. I love to laugh and joke, sometimes even at my own expense and sometimes inappropriately. But I also have a tendency to lay awake at night fighting panic attacks for the fear of the unknown.

As my children have been asking for answers from me, I have been crying out to God for answers from Him too. And although the answers never came with some magical epiphany or loud boom, I received them in the form of a Bible Story.

God reminded me of His story in the Old Testament (2 Samuel) when David was eager to have the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem. The Ark was being held at the High Priests home with his two sons. In David’s haste, he incorrectly summoned the Ark to be taken to him by oxen instead of being carried as God had meticulously laid out the proper instructions for doing so. In the process, Uzzah, the high priests son, was killed for touching the Ark when he thought it was falling off the cart. It was strictly forbidden, a big no no, to touch the Ark. Their carelessness caused a mans death.
Eventually, they got their act together, and conducting the proper way to carry the Ark, it was finally received in Jerusalem where David rejoiced with much jubilee and reckless dancing. His wife, Michal, was upset, for David’s actions were not becoming of a king and I’m sure she probably stewed over it.

Although there is much more to the history of this event, God placed those specific details on my heart.
I asked God specific questions in regards to the story. “Did anyone mourn when Uzzah died?” “Why was Michal so upset for David’s expression of joy?” “What’s the relation of this story and what’s happening right now?”

This afternoon, I stood at my kitchen window, facing the backyard and looked at our willow tree, with its corkscrew branches and pretty green leaves starting to grow. I thought “God couldn’t have picked a better time to confuse me with all the sadness in the world but with all the beauty of spring outside. I want to cry from climbing death toll  but marvel in the light of new life growing on Gods creation.”

While continuing to gaze at the willow tree, and the word of God fresh on my heart with the questions still in my mind, God made it known to me that He is in control of it all. The coronavirus isn’t a surprise to Him. He is sovereign. He was in control when He took Uzzah life and throughout the history of king David. He’s in control of the future!

My feelings don’t dictate truth. David’s desire for God to be in Jerusalem didn’t change the rules for how to handle the Ark. Our sadness doesn’t equate that God isn’t just as He was with Uzzah. Our joy doesn’t deserve condemnation from our peers as it did with David. We shouldn’t stew over how we think everyone should act or react to the unfolding news as with Michal.

Our emotions don’t change that God is holy, God is just, God is faithful and God is good. Always.
We can cry without shame and we can laugh without guilt. God is teaching me through this confusion that there is a middle ground. I can feel broken hearted with all that is going on but comforted and at peace to know He’s with me. What I cannot do is judge others for their feelings.

In our tears, He is near and that is worth rejoicing about.
He conquered death so we do not fear.
He lived our lives before us so He understands our pain.
He gave us faith in Him.
He gives us Hope in salvation.
He loves us unconditionally.

So cry when you feel sad. Be joyous that God is in control. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Rejoice in God’s nearness to us.

His mercies are new every morning.