Defeating Fear And Anxiety In Dark DaysSample

This too, Will Pass 

When crisis hits, you have to do the smart things necessary to get through it. You listen to what the experts say, you make good choices, and you keep moving forward, remembering at the same time that this will pass. It’s not going to last forever!

The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:12, "Dear friends, don't be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you" (TLB).

In this world, there will be times of trial and testing—it’s guaranteed! Since sin entered the world, nothing works perfectly. Everything on this planet is broken—the weather, the economy, your body, and even your best plans. Nothing works perfectly in this life because sin broke everything on earth.

Isaiah 24 says, “The land suffers for the sins of its people [for they] have twisted the laws of God and broken his everlasting commands . . . The earth has broken down in utter collapse" (v. 4-5, 19 TLB).

Everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. Even nature is groaning. We may wonder why God allowed sin and evil to enter the world, but it’s because he gives us a choice.

We're the ones that cause evil. We're the ones that are selfish and self-centered and cause problems in society and in our environment. This is why we're to pray the Lord's Prayer—"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"—because this is not heaven. Heaven is a perfect place with no sorrow, no sickness, no sadness, no stress, and we shouldn't expect heaven on earth. One day we'll get there, but we're not there yet.

We will get through this trial. One day the Coronavirus crisis will be a part of our history. Soon enough we will marvel at all that God did in the midst of this trouble as we look at it from the other side.

And there will be more challenges to face and adversity to endure. This is part of our reality on this earth. But we always hope, because "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV).

Talk It Over

• What are some ways you want to have grown spiritually, physically, and emotionally when you look back at this tumultuous time in our history?
• While God does not cause bad things to happen, how do you think he wants to redeem them?
• What have you placed your hope in during this crisis? Will it be enough to sustain you?

This devotional © 2020 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.