Renewal, Revival and Resurrection

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (NIV)

My last few days have been marked by warm weather, walking, and worshipping. If you’re like me, regardless of what your days have been filled with recently, you are so thankful for this amazingly beautiful weather the Lord has provided. It has been so good for my soul, though not so good for my shoulders. Definitely have to remember more sunscreen next time! But, the little bit of redness has been so worth what I’ve received over the last few days. Walk with me as I share the story of what God placed on my heart yesterday.

There’s a nice walking path at the edge of town that I’ve ventured to multiple times over the last couple of weeks to get some fresh air and exercise. It’s a great location because the path is wide enough to accommodate plenty of folks biking, walking, and running without violating any type of social distancing recommendations. As I’ve done quite a bit over the last several weeks, I drove out, parked my car, popped in my earbuds, and took off on a walk—just my music, my Maker, and me.

It has been a really great opportunity for reflection, prayer, and opening my heart to whatever the Lord may want to impress upon me during these crazy and challenging times. Though there is a busy highway that runs alongside the path, there are also plenty of beautiful trees and flowers to draw my attention as well. I’ve been intentional to capture some of these images along the way each day. For me, it has been a reminder that God is in everything. He sees, He knows, and He is in control.

During my walk yesterday, I was passing by a tree with beautiful blooms when I stepped off the path to snap a quick picture. As I was doing so, I was reminded of a similar picture I’d taken on a walk several days back. After scrolling through my camera roll, I found what I was looking for. The picture on the left was taken on March 28th, and the one on the right was yesterday, April 5th. Full disclosure: these pictures are not the same tree, but they still represent what God spoke to my heart in that moment: we are in a changing of seasons, but I am making all things new!

As I continued the rest of my walk, I found myself pondering the timing of the cultural shift that has taken place during the coronavirus pandemic. Over the course of the last month, our communities, state, and country have experienced a drastic shift. Jobs lost. Sports canceled. Sickness. Death. Fear. Separation. Worry. Isolation. Depression. It’s been difficult not to get sucked into the vacuum of negative emotions, as we’ve had to adapt to this totally unexpected new normal.

While trying to piece things together a bit, I wrote down a timeline to mark specific, significant events that occurred over the course of about ten days in mid-March leading us to the current state of our community:

March 10: West Jessamine boys basketball team wins 12th Region tournament.

March 11: NBA suspends season after Utah Jazz player tests positive for coronavirus.

March 12: NCAA makes a difficult decision to cancel March Madness.

March 13: Governor Beshear makes the recommendation to close schools until April 6.

March 16: Governor Beshear orders restaurants and bars closed to in-person traffic.

March 17: Governor Beshear mandates all public-facing businesses to close by end of day on March 18.

March 19: The first day of spring arrives.

When you look at the timeline, your first initial thought might be: Hmm, which of these statements doesn’t belong? I might have had that thought, too. But God. I don’t find it a coincidence that one day after a full week of closures and cancellations that invoked so much depression and despair, the beginning of spring arrived. When I pulled up those two pictures and aligned them side by side, God impressed this upon my heart, and I think He wants you to know and remember it, too.

We serve a God of renewal, revival, and resurrection.

Yesterday marked Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. In Matthew 21:8, it states: Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road (NLT). This excerpt tells of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, signifying the beginning of a week where Jesus would experience so much darkness, despair, sadness, and suffering. But take heart, because we know that Sunday is coming. In Matthew 28:5, it is written: Then the angel spoke to the women, “Don’t be afraid!” he said, “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come and see where his body was lying (NLT). Whew! What a powerful statement: He is risen! Aren’t you so thankful?

Leading experts say this week with the coronavirus will likely be the hardest yet. More positive cases. More deaths. It will only get worse before it gets better. But friend, I implore you to hang in there. Though we don’t know how long all of this will last, we serve a good God who knows every last detail. And, not only does He know every detail, He sent His one and only son, Jesus, to experience this life in a fully human way. So we can be confident that Jesus knows. He experienced all of the same human emotions you and I are facing during these times, yet He endured. And I believe we can, too.

The renewal of spring is here. A revival of the church is here. Resurrection Sunday is coming. So, when you’re tempted to choose fear over faith, worry over worship, and chaos over calm, turn your eyes to Jesus. Stay informed, but draw near to God and remember He is still on the throne. Get in the Word. Choose worship. And remember His words from Revelation: He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”