Prayer for a Story in the Chaos

Anyone have any ideas what tomorrow holds? I’m pretty sure that this is a pivotal time but it’s pretty hard to fathom exactly what is going to change in our global, national, local, and family culture after this pandemic is over. There is so much unknown and so much uncertainty and it can be terrifying if we really let our minds dwell on that fear. It is only natural to be afraid of the unknown. That’s why so often we pretend that we know what is going to happen tomorrow. We never really do, though, do we? I mean, isn’t it true that tomorrow is always unknown and uncertain? I’m a producer and the biggest part of my job is to make sure that the story we want to film gets properly planned and filmed in the right way. I believe we exert some control over the future by our choices and plans. However, I also know that the realization things are not totally in our control frees us to make plans to be flexible. There are a vast array of variables that have to come together on a film set and they never all happen like we plan. Regardless, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We stay focused on what’s most important - telling the story - regardless of whatever chaos comes between our plans and that goal. Maybe it can be the same in this time at this moment when we all realize that our plans are all scrapped. Maybe instead of being overwhelmed by the fear we can realize that whatever we were planning never was as concrete as we thought. Instead, maybe now we can lean into flexibility and commit to the story we want to be told in spite of the chaos. What story is that? If you’re a follower of Jesus then that story needs to be Love. There are vast opportunities for Love in the midst of so much uncertainty and fear. I think what you’ll see is that when you let that story be your focus then there is little room left for the fear. For me, that love starts with prayer and recognizing the people for whom I can and need to pray for… and opportunities for greater love and compassion always follows. Right now, I’m praying for you so pray for me because I’m not immune to the anxiety either. Some other things you can do are: 1) read these verses - 1 John 4:18, Philippians 4:6, … 2) go to the resource page on this site and download the personal prayer list and use that to help you identify people for whom you can pray 3) look for opportunities to love.