Even Before COVID-19, We Were Never in Control

Posted on Apr 30, 2020 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Elyse Fitzpatrick

I am writing to today from my Fortress of Solitude in San Diego. My husband and I have just returned from our daily 2-mile walk around the neighborhood, being careful to change to the opposite side of the street when we see another human. When I unavoidably have to walk near some possible Petrie dish of a pedestrian (never closer than 6 feet, though), I make sure to hold my breath. How long do you have to hold your breath before it’s safe to resume oxygenating your blood? If I happen to pass out on the street from self-suffocation, will I be put in a COVID ward? These are some of the things that trouble me.

In May, Harvest House will be releasing an updated version of my book, Love to Eat/Hate to Eat. I’m really glad about that for a number of reasons. Once we make it through this time of immense upheaval, we’ll want to try to reinstate the disciplines that worked so well when we were under the (mistaken) assumption that we were in charge of our lives. Control is one of the topics we look at in the book and, trust me, the lack of control I’m feeling right now is pretty unsettling. Is it the same for you? The book will be helpful, I’m sure.

But in the meantime, there are some things that I hope you remember:

Our standing before God, our “rightness” or what the Bible calls, “justification,” doesn’t depend on how well we make it through this season, nor on how disciplined our eating or exercise is. Our justification (remember that’s: just-as-if-I-never sinned, and just-as-if-I-always-obeyed) is dependent on Christ’s blood and righteousness alone. That means that everyday he lived a perfectly disciplined life so that when we believe in him, we are granted his flawless record. It also means that he takes all the punishment for every time we run to food to try to make ourselves feel a little better, or just not so bored, instead of running to him. He takes it all and he gives it all. For us.
Our lives are a vapor. That means that this time of constant change is teaching us something important: We’re not in control. As James says, “you do not know what tomorrow will bring” (James 4:14). So maybe it’s time to remember to humbly say, “If the Lord wills, we will live…” (James 4:15) instead of declaring all our plans with such hubris. Rather, we should pray, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
God cares about vapors. This is how David prayed,

One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble… (Psalm 27:4-5).

Dear friends, this time will pass and whether it passes because we’ve finally seen the sunshine again as we plan our meals and keep to our schedules, or if it means we will finally rest with him—this isn’t all there is. We are hidden in his shelter. And for that, we can rejoice—even if the snack food runs out. There’s a better meal coming.