If you are worried right now, you are in good company – the average level of uncertainty and anxiety among my friends and loved ones is as high as I can ever remember. Maybe for a brief period after 9/11 it was worse but we quickly reached a new normal in that case. And even the great recession that started in 2007/2008 was probably not as worrisome, on average, because there was a discernable cause that we could point to and a somewhat predictable path forward.
The problem with the Covid-19 crisis is that there are still so many unknowns.
When will we get a vaccine? What will the future of work look like? Or how about air travel, sporting events, classrooms, summer camps for kids, and church gatherings? And for the 30 million Americans who have filed for unemployment over the past few weeks, there are also very real immediate questions about their ability to provide for their families.
This is the part of the lesson where the author or teacher says something along the lines of “don’t be anxious because God is in control”. But it seems like we need more than that right now. Is God really in control? Of course He is – now and always – but it is fair to ask what good could be coming out of all of the seemingly bad things going on around us. To provide more insight into that question, it will be helpful for us to focus on how God shapes and molds us during difficult times.
During a recent difficult period in my life, I learned to rely on God more than ever and to give up at least some of my addition to being in control. As part of this effort, I filled up my playlist with songs about giving up control and giving things over to God. Listening to these songs day after day made a meaningful positive impact on my mindset. One of my favorite go-tos was (and still is) Hawk Nelson’s song “Diamonds”. Here is how this song starts:
Here and now I’m in the fire, in above my head
Being held under the pressure, don’t know what will be left
But it’s here in the ashes
I’m finding treasure
He’s making diamonds
Making diamonds
He’s making diamonds out of dust
He is refining
And in his timing
He’s making diamonds out of us
This song reminds us that everyone, even Christians, can get in over our heads sometimes and the pressure can feel unbearable. But it is pressure that creates things of beauty like diamonds.
Here’s a challenge for this week — try to catch yourself when worry arises and redirect your thoughts to questions like “where is God moving in my life during this time?” or “where is God leading me?” or “how is God using this pressure to mold me in ways that I will be more useful to Him?”. It is still going to be a difficult time, but maybe these questions will at least help us focus more on God than ourselves.
Questions:
- Have you ever known the average level of anxiety in the world to be any higher than it is right now?
- Do you believe that God uses difficult times to mold us and make more useful to Him?
- [Give the next question a little extra thought because it is central to understanding the heart of God and His plans for us] If good things are going to come out of this difficult time, why would we not be more hopeful and positive? Why are we so anxious?
- If you feel comfortable sharing, on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your personal need to be in control (10 means you need to control everything and 1 means you are very comfortable trusting God and giving Him control)?
- For a person who struggles to give up control, how might they benefit if they moved more in the direction of letting God take the wheel?
Men's Small Group Blog 