I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
Psalm 89:25
The Latin root of the word virus means slimy liquid; poison. As my family and I continue to adjust and adapt to daily life amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, I find it fitting that the root of “virus” means, simply, “poison.” One of the most unexpected side-effects of COVID-19 has been a slow but steady injection of additional anxiety, uncertainty, and fear into my daily life.
As a parent of two rambunctious boys – ages 3 and 4 1/2 – I’ve gotten accustomed, somewhat, to the natural worry and uncertainty that accompanies the life of a parent; however, I find myself struggling to process the overwhelming uncertainty and fear that COVID-19 presents for me and the ones that I love most.
While reflecting on today’s verse, the respective titles of Psalms 88 and 89 (TEV) – “A Cry for Help” and “A Hymn in Time of National Trouble” – resonated deeply with me. In Psalms 88 and 89, God promises to give David rule over a wide kingdom from the sea to the rivers. The image of God’s hands reaching from the sea to the rivers is a palpable reminder for me of God’s literal and figurative reach; God’s hands are outstretched before, beside, and behind me even when I’m not able to see through the fog of uncertainty and fear that threatens to engulf me.
In these uncertain times of COVID-19, natural disasters of increasing strength and frequency, and ever-present racial and cultural injustice, I find myself clinging – sometimes with cracked knuckles and bloody hands – to God’s promise to never abandon us. Though some days it is an on-going struggle to find hope, I am comforted by the image of God’s outstretched hands offering me rest. In the face of the greatest uncertainties of my life, God has never failed to show up – not always in the way I expected, or wanted in some cases – but I can rest knowing that God is, once again, with me.
God, when hope seems out of reach and impossible, remind me to be still and know that your promises of love and rest are never-ending. Amen.
John Pyron is the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response-US.
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