Pandemonium from a pandemic

I’ve decided to take a break from the current blogs series.  I do this because of the pandemonium we are seeing.  The dictionary defines pandemonium as “wild uproar or unrestrained disorder; tumult or chaos.”  This describes the current climate of the day; we are all dealing with the coronavirus pandemic in some way.  In my own life, all this week, I have been working at a Chick-fil-A that is drive-through only.  I have worked in food service for many years, and I have never faced a week that looked remotely like this one.

Let me move to the main portion of today’s blog.  The song “I Will Fear no More” from the group “The Afters” is a powerful song.  It is apropos for this season.  I came across a resource where, Josh Havens, one of the writers of the song, shares his thoughts on it; he says: “Anxiety is something that I’ve struggled with for a lot of my life.  I remember...us just talking about hey let’s write a song that’s an anthem against anxiety.  We wanted to write words that you could sing over your life… I will not give in to fear and anxiety.  It’s an anthem for trusting God.  An anthem for not living in fear.”

(Source: https://freeccm.com/2018/10/30/behind-the-song-the-afters-share-the-heart-behind-their-song-fear-no-more/)

This same source gives the lyrics of the song; here is a sampling: “Every anxious thought that steals my breath it’s like a heavy weight upon my chest.  As I lie awake and wonder what the future will hold, help me to remember that You’re in control.  You’re my courage when I worry in the dead of night; You’re my strength ‘cause I’m not strong enough to win this fight.  You are greater than the battle raging in my mind; I will trust You Lord, I will fear no more.”

Incidentally, there is an important point that I think needs to be made: there is a difference between what I’m going to call legitimate fear and debilitating fear.  Legitimate fear says not to put your hand on a hot stove or it will burn you.  That kind of fear is healthy and normal.  Conversely, debilitating fear is an inner panic that grips your heart and refuses to let go of you.  The Bible says that fear is not from God.  I love 2 Timothy 1:7: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Psalm 46:1-2 reads, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”  Through these troubling days of pandemonium, I look to a trustworthy God.  I’m going to choose to put my confidence and faith in Him.

Kevin