Calming Your Fears in Times of Stress

Are You Finding It Hard to Trust God Right Now?

If you continually listen to most of the media, you are deluged with messages that produce fear concerning the Corona Virus. You may start imagining scenes being portrayed concerning thousands of people filling hospitals and dying.

You may also be stressed by financial needs if you are out of work due to the pandemic. The stress of not being able to go out to meet friends and family and not being able to go to church may be getting to you too.  Not to mention trying to stay six feet away from everyone in the grocery store!

If you are trying to work from home during the social distancing orders that have created the need to stay home, you may also feel tension in taking care of your children and trying to help them maintain their education while they are home.  It’s hard to do a full day’s work while meeting the needs of your kids.  And unless you were already homeschooling, you may have anxiety about the quality of education your children are receiving.

You might be trying to comfort the fears of your children.  They  hear what’s going on and miss their friends and extended family.  You are trying to reassure them while trying to qualm your own worries.

You also might be worried about elderly relatives and people you know with health problems.  Knowing that they could be critically affected by Covid-19 can increase your concerns.  And not being able to visit them can create stress.  You can call them, but you can’t see in person how they are really doing.

With all of these stresses, you might be struggling with trusting God.  Worry may be taking over your mind.  Maybe even fear is getting a hold on you.

Let’s Change Our Focus

When fear and worry start nipping at our brains, it’s time to make a choice to change your focus.  Pray.  Ask God to help you focus on Jesus.

Look up Scriptures that promise His protection and presence.  Meditate on them.

Find a group to join on social media in which members are encouraging each other by sharing Scripture, encouraging words, and prayer. I joined a women’s group like this on Facebook, and every day women are blessing each other, praying for each other, and sharing words of comfort and strength.  I have found it to be a place to not only receive encouragement, but to also minister to others.  It’s a joy to share Jesus with these women.  There is something about encouraging someone else that brings peace and joy to yourself.

Another important way to get your focus off the virus and your hardships is to worship.  You can do this using your favorite method of listening to music.  What an abundance of great Christian music, in all kinds of styles, we have to choose from!  I enjoy finding worship videos by Christian artists on You Tube, watching and worshiping along with them.

Here’s one that has really been blessing me for a few days, by the group Selah:

(I am enjoying listening to it again right now while I write this.)

Another important thing is to maintain some kind of Sunday worship service.  Due the quarantine, we can’t meet at church.  But many churches are now streaming their services and doing Facebook Live services.  Some groups are meeting with the Zoom app to worship together.  My church has asked those of us who will be participating online to have crackers and juice ready to take virtual communion together this Sunday.  And you can read the Bible and pray with others in your household or over the phone with a friend.

God Is Using This Quarantine to Draw People to Himself and to Strengthen Faith

This principle still holds true:  What the enemy uses against us, God turns around for His purposes.

There has been a proliferation online of ministry that was not there before.  Churches ministering online are seeing more people “attending” their streamed services than who normally come out in person for a service.  Church members are posting invitations on their social media with links to their services, and people with a hunger for comfort click in.

As I mentioned before, Christian groups are forming on social media for the purpose of helping people get through this stressful time.  Members of these groups are multiplying.  Some who participate will come to know Jesus through the loving Spirit-led sharing going on within these groups.

A children’s Bible club teacher whom I know, Erin Chervenak, has taken her Bible teaching to Facebook of you so that the children in her clubs can continue the Bible lessons every week.    I am hoping that many will share her video so that her sharing of the gospel with children will multiply.  Here is one of her lessons.  If you have kids in your life, share it with them.

Also many pastors, evangelists, and Christian teachers are developing their own You Tube channels so that people can click in to hear inspiring messages from the Word of God.  You can find encouragement any time you need it.  These videos, as well as Christian blog posts, are being shared more than usual due to people having time on their hands and wanting to share good news with others,

I hope that these thoughts that I’ve shared and the videos are encouraging you today.  Set aside your stressful feelings and focus on the One who brings peace.

i’m going to close with one more video for you.  The Nashville Studio Singers found a way to sing “It Is Well” together, even though they were each in their separate homes.  Creativity and technology!