He will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8 NIV)

“Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve listened enough to reports about the coronavirus!”
“Okay. I’ll turn the TV off,” my husband said.
He did, and we spent some time praying and singing. Energized and encouraged, I began to work on my projects for the day.

In my protective mask and stay-at-home secure position, it would be possible for me to forget about the world beyond my doorstep. My heart will not let me do that. So I listen to news reports but not too many of them. I don’t want to be overwhelmed with grief.

My heart wants to connect with others. It cries when I see their pain and struggles. I want to share comfort and hope. (Sometimes, I’m the one who needs comfort and hope.) How do I balance staying informed with retaining sanity and peace-of-mind, so that I can make a positive difference in the midst of this social isolation?

The only way I can do it is to listen more attentively to Jesus. The burden that he asks us to accept is easy; the load he gives us to carry is light. (Matthew 11:30 NCV) He also told us that on earth we would have many trials and sorrows. (John 16:33 NLT) Wait a minute! Doesn’t that sound like a contradiction? How can our burden be easy and our load light when we’re experiencing many trials and sorrows?

For me, the answer is that Jesus carries most of the load. He sees our pain and suffering but is not overwhelmed by it. He empathizes with us because when he lived on earth he experienced deep pain. (Isaiah 53:3 NLT)

How do we know we can count on his presence? How do we know he will give us the strength to rise above our suffering? How do we know his promises are true? He rose from the grave. In doing so, he overcame the power of evil and the power of death. We celebrated his resurrection less than two weeks ago.

His Spirit is with us now and someday Jesus will return, lift us from the distress of this world, lift us from the grave, and give us bodies like his, free of pain and dysfunction.

This gives me strength for today and great hope for tomorrow.


Oh what comfort! Oh what hope!
No longer will I have to cope
With a virus that can kill;
Nothing, there, will make me ill.
 
Oh what peace! Oh what rest!
No more conflicts with the flesh;
No more failure; no defeat.
God’s work in me will be complete.
 
Oh what mercy!  Oh what grace!
No more injury will take place;
No more guilt; no more shame;
Face to face, I will remain.
 
Oh what joy! Oh what bliss!
I can’t comprehend all this.
Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior,
For you, I’ll work; for you I’ll labor
 
A few more hours, a few more days,
A few more weeks  to bring you praise.
A few more years upon this earth,
Let me show your matchless worth.
 
Jane Ault
4/22/20

8 Responses

  1. This touched deeply within my heart and echos my feelings . Your message brings us hope and replaces the negatives with JOY and love.
    Thank you and many blessings for you and your family

    1. Thank you for your encouraging words, Debbie. May God bless you and your family with abundance of grace at this time.

  2. Hi Jane,
    I’m with you. Turn off the tv & walk, crochet,
    color, knit, homeschool my Grandsons,
    Write encouragement to my friends back East.

    And…..go to bed early & read!

    Yes, I get restless. My plans have been delayed. But I’m happily stuck I California.

    Thankyou for your thoughts.

    1. Thank you for your comment. I wouldn’t mind being stuck in California right now with my grandchildren. Enjoy them.

    2. I just loved this blog. I have not really been so overwhelmed by the virus and situation itself…. because I HAVE PUT MY TRUST IN GOD to carry me through this! I do believe God is doing some kind of HIS WORK in our world. He is definitely sending us an important message and we need to listen.
      Thank you Jane for sharing
      God bless you and John
      Stay safe
      Terri Mitchell

      1. Thank you for your comment, Terri. I, also, have put my trust in God to carry me through this. However, I am sad about the loss of life and other losses people are experiencing. Jesus calls us to “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice”.

  3. Thank-you Jane, I can almost imagine you dancing in praise as you sing this poem. We all need to imagine heaven and focus on sharing the joyful hope we have because of who Jesus is in our life…This is a gift to me today…Bless you and keep on dancing!

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