As we start the 4^th week of social distancing and #covidtine, it feels like knowing what day it is hardly matters. But this week is different. This week we remember and celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Sunday, I won’t let my family worship in their pjs, much to their dismay! We’re going to get dressed and take a photo to look back on and remember this Easter when everything was different. 

All these changes in our way of life have been forced upon us because of the threat of death. If this virus didn’t kill so often, we wouldn’t be quarantined in our homes, we wouldn’t be cancelling school, and we wouldn’t be willing to shut down our economy as we attempt to slow its spread. Our world has come face-to-face with death in a way that we haven’t before in our lifetime. 

As we take these drastic measures to preserve life, we can do so with hope in the One who willingly gave His life to conquer death for us: 

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep . . . ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” (I Cor. 15:20 and 55, NIV)

Friend, this is good news: Jesus is alive! He is a suffering Savior who died in your place and also a reigning King who conquered the power of death. We read in Revelation 1:18 that Jesus holds the keys to death and hades. Death has no power over Him.

Our risen Savior is the firstfruits of the resurrection. “Firstfruits” implies that there are more resurrection fruits to come! When He stepped out of the grave, He made a way for us to have new life in Him now and eternal life with Him forever. Death has no power over Him, and it also has no power over those of us who are in Christ. 

And so even though we feel the pain of death here temporarily, we can look at Christ’s empty grave and say with Paul, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Jesus Christ took the sting of death for us, so we can face the threat of death with confident hope in Him. 

No matter what you face this week, the risen Christ conquered death for you. 

How is your heart responding to your new way of life during the coronavirus crisis? The first week, I think I was mostly in shock. The second week, the shock started to wear off and sadness kept creeping in. And now as we face the third week of feeling like we’re living in a movie that we never wanted to see, the questions keep reverberating in my mind: “How long? When will this end? How will life ever be normal again?” 

I’m tired, stressed, and scared, and I think if I just knew how and when this would be over, I could face each day with more endurance, hope, and peace. And yet, God isn’t giving us the answers we desperately crave. I think I know why. 

If I knew an end date, I’d be tempted to trust my ability to manage life until then. When I don’t know how this will end, I must place my trust in the One who knows and who will provide what I need for each day. The Lord is asking us to look ahead at an unknown future and trust Him every morning. 

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21-23)

We don’t know how long this will last. But we know that it won’t outlast God’s steadfast love, His endless mercies, or His great faithfulness. As He provides for the lilies of the field and the birds in the trees, He will provide for us, His beloved children. 

When we look ahead and wonder how we’ll cope next week or next month, we will grow anxious. This is so hard for me – I want to be prepared and plan for every possibility. But God is asking us to trust Him for today and not worry about tomorrow. All our tomorrows are resting securely in His hands. His faithfulness will be sufficient no matter what comes. We can let Him take care of all the worries of tomorrow as He faithfully provides for us today. 

No matter what you face this week, your hardship will not outlast God’s faithfulness.