When Doubts Fill My Mind | A Message of Cheer in the Midst of COVID-19
We are living in the midst of uncertainty. While I know the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting each of us in different ways, what I don’t know this morning is exactly how it is affecting you as we meet across a computer or phone screen. Maybe it’s put you home with stir-crazy children, trying to develop a new normal. Maybe you’ve been laid off from work or your hours have been cut back. Maybe you are scrambling to keep your business afloat. Maybe you have the virus and you are so sick you can barely function. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one to the sickness. Or maybe, like me you’ve had to press pause or cancel on something that was really important to you. This morning, I don’t pretend to know where you are, but I do know that God is present with us. I haven’t written in a while, struggling with feelings of “what can I say that matters?” This morning, I believe God has something He wants to say, and what He says always matters. Let’s dive in together!
Yesterday, I received the sweetest note from my Sister. Tears rolled down my cheek as I read her words assuring me that her heart was aching with mine over the disappointment we are experiencing. Penned in her note was this scripture:
“When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 94:19 NLT
It made me stop and re-read it. I thought I had looked up every single verse in the Bible that used the word “cheer” for study purposes for this blog, but I had never come across this one. I re-read the verse, ““When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.” Psalm 94:19. I pulled out my Bible and turned to Psalm 94. The ESV translation says it this way, “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” I pulled out my NIV translation and flipped to this verse. It says it this way, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” After a quick Google search, I figured out that my Sister’s Bible must be an NLT (New Living Translation) and I simply loved the way her translation put it. Sometimes, looking at different translations of the same passage can give us a more robust understanding of the meaning.
As I looked deeper into it, I realized Psalm 94 is a song of community lament that was sung when the people of God felt like they were being defeated from all sides. I thought, “Hmmm, how appropriate?” I don’t know about you, but I’ve sure felt defeated and overwhelmed these last few weeks. The NIV says, “When anxiety is great within me.” Can anyone besides me identify with that this morning? I’ve felt like I’ve been in a war with anxiousness over the past few weeks. I know I should trust in God, put my hope in Him and not worry, but I still find my mind filled with worry. This verse today teaches us a simple lesson: when our minds are anxious and filled with doubt, God’s comfort gives us renewed hope and cheer. I have two questions for us this morning:
1- How are we putting ourselves in a position to be comforted by God?
If our verse tells us that God's comfort is the key to receiving renewed hope and cheer, how are we allowing ourselves to be comforted by God? Are we talking with God? Are we spending quiet time with Him in His word and in prayer? Are we filling our extra hours with His presence or filling it with the News and Social Media? I don’t know about you, but I have noticed the more I scroll, the more anxious I become. It takes a real effort to close out the apps and put my phone down, to just sit quietly with God.
2- Are we receiving His renewed hope and cheer?
This verse says that out of His comfort, He gives us “renewed hope and cheer.” It is ours for the taking. Have we received it? Are we living out of a posture of worry or out of hope? Are we believing God for a miracle for our nation and for our world? It’s been hard to have cheer in the midst of so much disease and death. In fact, sometimes it even feels wrong. Shouldn’t we be sad with so many people dying and hurting? Yes, we absolutely should be sad. We should mourn the loss of so many lives. Especially as Christians, we should be motivated to pray as so many who have died (especially in other countries) most likely do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. This should upset us.
But James 1 reminds us this:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4
We are instructed to count it all as joy when we face trials of many kinds. This is not an easy task. It just seems wrong in the midst of this global crisis to walk around happy. My team was working on a social media post for our church and I said, “We can’t use this picture, he just looks too happy.” As I reflect on that statement, I think that’s often our problem- we confuse happiness with joy/cheer.
Let’s think about Jesus. When He went to the cross and suffered great pain, I don’t imagine He had a big grin on his face. He probably didn’t look very happy. But I do imagine he had joy. It’s a part of His character, one of the fruits of His Spirit. It doesn’t go away when times get tough. Jesus had joy in the midst of great suffering because he had hope. He told the robber next to Him who asked for forgiveness, “Today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus was sure of His hope - He knew where He was going and that allowed Him to have Joy, even in the hardest circumstance.
We’ve learned before that the words joy and cheer share the same root word and can be used interchangeably. Our verse today tells us that “when doubts fill our minds, God’s comfort gives us renewed hope and cheer.” Maybe you are like me and you’ve had hope in the past, but it’s hard to feel it right now. God’s comfort can renew our hope. Let’s press into Him today. Let’s spend some quiet time alone with Him. Let’s dive into His word. Let’s talk to Him continually in prayer. Let’s be quiet and listen to His response. Today, I am thankful my Sister shared this verse with me. I hope it encourages you as much as it has me. Let’s lean into His comfort, for he promises to give us “renewed hope and cheer”.
Father, when the world feels as if it is spinning out of control, you remain the same. When our minds fill up with anxiety, worry and doubt not only over what’s happening around the world but also what is happening in my personal life, may I rest in your comfort. Believing that your comfort will give me renewed hope and cheer. Be present with me now. I know that you are constant, even in the midst of chaos. Lord, we ask for a miracle of healing for our world. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
