Trust In Action (in the middle of COVID-19)

I had intentions of writing a post with this title a few weeks ago (before the whole Coronavirus COVID-19 thing happened), and it seems like a great time to revisit it.

Back in January, Leanne (that’s my beautiful bride) and I decided to move forward with listing our house. Our kids are both in college, and we simply don’t need all the property and all the house that we currently have. We put our house on the market with the intention of moving closer to being completely debt free so we can live more, save more, and ultimately give more.

In the process, we also began our search for our next home. We set a dollar limit along with a search criteria related to the type of house and neighborhood we were pursuing.

And thus we entered the wonderful, crazy process of selling and buying a house.

Proverbs 3:5-6 has always been a central verse for Leanne and me.

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

This is the verse that provided us hope and encouragement as we guided the early years of our relationship and considered marriage.

This is the verse that we leaned on heavily when we navigated some significant challenges several years ago.

And this is the verse that we come back to now as we consider the prospect of moving.

Trusting God implies God will do everything for us. He will direct our paths. Some versions say He will make our paths straight when we trust in Him.

I’m not saying this is wrong, but I think we must be careful not to take this as a call to sit on our hands doing nothing. While we may need to wait to see how God reveals Himself in the midst of our situation, He still gave us brains, hands, and feet. Our brains help us think and process our next steps. Our hands and feet help us take those next steps.

Getting back to our house, we officially put our house on the market in early February. Our realtor stepped into action with a few open houses, and we began to see prospective buyers come through our house. At the same time, we found the house in which we would like to move. After a few weeks without offers, we made the decision to drop the price of our current house. We also made the decision to put a refundable down payment on the house for which we would like to purchase. In other words, we took action.

We are still trusting God will work in our situation. We pray daily that God would bring the right buyer for the right price at the right time. We are giving that part to God. Meanwhile, we are trying to be wise – seeking godly advice and taking appropriate action.

As we encounter this strange time in history as it relates to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), I think this verse and these thoughts apply. God is in control. But we must also use our brains and our bodies to think and act appropriately. Washing our hands and temporarily distancing ourselves socially are not bad ideas. I’d also suggest we pray for our leaders, for those in healthcare, and for those who are sick. My pastor also encouraged us to reach out to our neighbors (particularly are aging neighbors) to make sure they were okay. These are all actions we can take.

It’s easy to become anxious when we face challenges in life whether they relate to personal uncertainty or global pandemics. Paul reminds us to keep our anxiety in check.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

As we navigate these times, trust and pray like God is in control and take action (spiritually and physically) like your actions matter.

One more thought, there are a lot of people who are scared and in need of hope right now. If you are a Christ follower, I believe this is a time when Jesus’ love and hope can shine brightly. Let’s be the voice of reason – the voice of calm – the voice that points people to the God who alone can be trusted in all circumstances.