Lessons During a Pandemic With Daria Pittman

At Slater Baptist, we believe that the Lord is using this worldwide crisis to teach each of us something. This series of blogposts is a space for our members to share what they have learned through these difficult circumstances. This first post is from Daria Pittman.

What has the Lord taught you in the midst of this pandemic?

To wait on the Lord and trust Him. Although I knew to do this before the pandemic, this has made it ever so real in my life and shown me the importance of waiting and trusting during a crisis.

"Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart, wait, I say on the Lord."
Psalms 27:14

"What time I am afraid I will trust in thee."
Psalm 56:3

"God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid."
Isaiah 12:2

This is His battle, and man can do nothing about it except abide by the laws of the land as the authorities lay out ground rules. God tells us in His Word to obey the authorities and in doing so we are helping to keep down the spread of this terrible virus. God is ultimately the one in control of this thing though which has caused worldwide fear.

He has also taught me to be content in whatever state I find myself. To be content in staying home most of the time and not even going out to eat with my friends, which is what I really enjoyed doing and about the only place I could go since I'm taking care of my mother. But now I don't go anywhere except as is necessary and He is teaching me to be content. He has taught me to be more focused on Him, His Word, prayer and the good things He gives to us.

I think we all should take more seriously 2 Chronicles 7:14. God's people don't always live as close to Him as we should because there are so many worldly things vying for our time and attention. I read something that I agree with: people love a lot of things sometimes more than they love God. For those who love sports, the stadiums have been shut down; for those who love music and concerts, the civic centers have been shut down; for those who love movies, the theaters have been shut down; for those who love money, the economy is shutting down and the stock market is going down; for those who love dancing, the dance halls have been shut down; for those who love exercising, the gyms have been shut down; for those of us who love getting our hair done, the hair salons have been shut down (I'm even trying to be content with washing and fixing my own hair), and on we could go.

On the other hand, there are those who don't want to go to church and those who love to go to church, maybe more so than they love living for the God whom they are supposed to be worshiping, so now it is that the churches are closed and those who will are worshiping in house churches. Maybe a lot of His people have just taken for granted that we would always be able to come into a church building and worship Him collectively. We have seen that taken away from us during these days. He has not changed, so all of us need to love Him enough to meet together in the house churches with as many as can legally be in one house and in so doing be obedient to His Word that says "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as we see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25).

It is time for God’s people to humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, then He will hear from heaven and will forgive our sins and will heal our land.