There is a strong expectation that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is expected to announce a delay in the final easing of restrictions in England which had been due to take place on June 21 under the Government’s road map. This is due to the surge in cases of the Delta variant of the Coronavirus. For those of us who feel this pandemic has been going on for too long, the prospect of yet another delay is cause for great frustration.
I was reflecting on this when the Apostle Paul’s words of encouragement came to my mind: ‘Therefore we do not lose heart’ (2 Corinthians 4:16). One of the reasons Paul says we must not lose heart is because our current troubles are not only ‘light and momentary’ but are also achieving for us, ‘an eternal glory’ that far outweighs our troubles (2 Corinthians 4:17). Paul proceeds to give us the key to enduring peace of mind in that same verse: ‘So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’
What is unseen is our heavenly inheritance, the promise we have in Christ Jesus. No earthly frustration can take that away from us. Many of us do not think about heaven because it seems too distant from us. Yet the truth is we can find ourselves in heaven today (if you believe in Jesus, that is), since our lives are in God’s hands, not ours.
Another great comfort is the unseen work of God in our lives. God is always at work in the lives of his children, even when they cannot see it. We do not know when restrictions will finally be lifted, because no one, not even the Prime Minister knows for sure how and when the pandemic will eventually die out. But our God knows. He is omniscient and all power belongs to him.
Therefore, while we may not know what the future holds, we know who holds the future and we know too that his children are held by Him. So what do we need to do? Let us hold on to him as tightly as he holds on to us. More importantly, do you believe in Jesus? Can you truly call yourself a child of God? If not, take that step today. That is the secret of everlasting peace, the secret to not losing heart.