Late one recent night, I turned on the light at the front door of my home to look outside because it was storming with lots of rain and wind. Just inside the ceiling ledge of the roof that is above my front porch, I saw a tiny bird cuddled in a corner with its head tucked under its wing.

The little bird appeared to know it was safe because it was sleeping comfortably even as the rain fell and the wind blew just a few feet away. The next morning after the rain and wind had stopped, that little bird flew off to begin a new day and find some food.

In Matthew 6:26, Jesus reminds us that our Father in heaven takes care of the birds in nature, provides them with a place to stay and feeds them. Then He asks, “Are you not worth more than they?” The answer to that rhetorical question is a resounding “Yes!” We are important to God. We can rest in peace because we trust in Jesus who promises in Philippians 4:19 to provide for our every need.

The coronavirus pandemic that we are living in continues to make life anxious and stressful for all of us. Many people have lost their job and income. Teenagers have been forced to miss milestone events and celebrations like graduations and proms. There is still uncertainty about how long these times will last. If we do not make an effort to avoid it, discouragement and even fear can slip into our mind and cause us to worry about having enough money or food to make it through this storm in life.

Maybe you can resonate with King David when he wrote “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord….” (Psalm 27:13).

Everyone living on planet earth lives under the authority of the one true God who created everything. Even the devil and powers of darkness are subject to Him. God is still on His throne, and He is in control.

This pandemic will fade away and end when God decrees that it has been long enough. The pandemic may end by Him working through medical science or He may do it in a way that medical science cannot explain. Either way, Acts 17:28 reminds us “for in Him we live and move and have our being….” If we will allow God to teach us, there are things we can learn in the midst of difficulty that we will not learn any other way.

Rest assured, even if some people do not believe that God exists, He does and He is at work during this storm. I resonate with what one person said, “I know God is alive. I talked with Him this morning.”

God is doing His work in the lives of those who turn to Him. His peace is always available to us when we access it from Him. You can know God’s peace in greater proportion when you spend unhurried time alone with Him telling Him what you love about Him and how you appreciate all He does for you. If you will not be in a hurry when you are alone with God and take time to linger and praise Him, God can make His presence known to you and it will bring great peace to your heart.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” – John 14:27 (NKJV)