Who ever thought we would be living through a pandemic?! I have to admit, it was never on my radar. It certainly has been a very trying time. I never have been afraid of the virus itself but I have wavered between being fearful of the future and being confident in my Lord.
When I keep my eyes on things around me, I become fearful. What if my business doesn't come back after my state reopens? What if my local economy plummets? What if my church can't meet again for a long time? What if my state declares bankruptcy? The questions don't stop! So many "what ifs"!
As I have been feeding my fish I've noticed that one angel fish will always look to the bottom of the tank for food as the flakes sink into the water. The problem is there are so many other fish swimming closer to the top that they are getting the food before it makes it down to the angel fish. I found myself thinking, "If only you would look up to the source instead of focusing on the few pieces at the bottom." After all, the fish is an excellent swimmer. It can certainly swim up as it often does most any other time.
One day as I was mentally screaming at this silly fish to look to look up...look to the source...I heard the Lord say, "Why don't you look up? Why don't you look to your source?" Good question, Lord!
After all, I love Matthew 6 where Jesus talks about not worrying about the things of this world. What if we don't have enough to eat? What if we don't have good clothes to wear? Instead, Jesus implores us to chase after the Kingdom of God first. When we put Him first in all we do, all these other things will be given to us. Why wasn't I doing that? After all, didn't I trust God as my source?
I was reminded of David as he sang in the Psalms:
Psalm 121:1-2 (The Passion Translation)
I look up to the mountains and hills, longing for God's help. But then I realize that our true help and protection come only from the Lord, our Creator who made the heavens and the earth.
Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves that God truly is our help and protection.
Jesus Himself gave us a wonderful example of this as He prepared to feed 5000 families with a little boy's sack lunch.
Matthew 14:19 (The Passion Translation)
Then He had everyone sit down on the grass as He took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up into heaven, gave thanks to God, and broke the bread into pieces. He then gave it to His disciples, who in turn gave it to the crowds.
Take a few minutes to read through Psalm 121. It's a short chapter that will encourage you! If you're like me and you find yourself running all the "what ifs" through your head, just stop, look up, and give thanks to God. He is all you need. He is your source.
