SIDE BY SIDE
God’s Goodness in a Time of Pandemic Barb DeLew
What a year this has been with all the struggles related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the year is in the rearview mirror, I wanted to give thanks to God, but struggled with how COVID-19 and this pandemic brought anything into my life for which to be thankful. And yet ". . . we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Lord, please show me your goodness through this past year. He did. 1. Our good God is our protector. My medical doctor husband suddenly became a frontline worker. I watched him leave the house each morning for the job God had given him, and it created anxiety. Our new routine included prayers for "a bubble of protection" around him each morning, and I visually placed him in God's hands as he left for work. The trust of the Lord grew within me. 2. I realized each day I needed to make sure I exercised and got fresh air. and I have an energetic dog that needs exercise. We walked together as many days as we could, and I found myself talking to God. I discovered that when I looked up at the sky and had fewer distractions, I could focus and center my thoughts on him as I walked. My prayer life grew deeper and richer as I drew near to him and he drew near to me. 3. Our good God wants us to cast our burdens on him and leave them at his feet. We are so thankful that all four of our adult children and one daughter-in-law were able to work from home. However, there are still struggles—and even more so with the isolation. I answered phones calls about their personal struggles, career decisions and just plain disappointment with the way things were. If you are a mom, you know that you just want to run to them and be the help that is needed and fix it—but I couldn't. So, what to do? Pray! As a result, I have seen so many answers to prayer—to specific prayers for their well-being and their souls. 4. God works—even and especially through technology. I have been a Women's Bible Study co-leader for many years and did not want to have to give that up this year. I was paired with a new co-leader who preferred not to attend WBS in-person and Zoom entered my world. Each Wednesday
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morning, I meet with 15 wonderful, faithful women to study the Book of Genesis. Our conversations are rich and beautiful as we consider and see how God uses his weak people to accomplish his promises, and we usually have 100% attendance. I've been able to invite neighbors and out-oftown family who are reticent to go to church, to worship with me at virtual Sunday services. I think of those who cannot or should not be in a social setting in these pandemic days due to their circumstances and am grateful that they have a way to worship each Sunday online. 5. Our good God shares his wisdom when we ask for it. As I wrestled with the new restrictions that COVID brought and how to respond, it amazed me to see how many strong and differing attitudes there were to the situation in which we all found ourselves. And how much unknown and uncertainty
