In mid-February, two severe winter storms struck the US. Texas has been the hardest hit state. Due to the state’s unpreparedness for such an extreme winter, it resulted to a power crisis, food and water shortages, infrastructure damages and worse of all, reported deaths of a least 70. At one point, the winter storm plunged temperatures to -19C which is the coldest recorded in North Texas in 72 years! Because the gas pipes are not winterized, these burst and resulted to power failures. I saw in the news devastating videos of water gushing within the houses because of pipes busting. There were collapsed ceilings, walls and various leakages. People were also bundled up, wearing their winter jackets inside their houses because there was no electricity to power up the heaters. There was also a lack of safe drinking water for several days. We saw in the news long line ups of people getting water from safe sources – these scenes I can see mostly on third world countries.
This scenario is a reminder for us on how important it is to keep our defenses strong and up all the time. Covid19 pandemic is like that severe winter storm that hit Texas. It rendered us helpless and vulnerable. Despite advances in the medical field, there are infections and deaths daily across the globe. Mentally and emotionally it is taking a toll on us as we are isolated from our loved ones and friends. With the restrictions, we can’t do the things that we like to do such as traveling, dining out, meet ups with friends and more. Spiritually, our faiths are tested and with the various distractions that overwhelm us, these cloud our focus on God’s power and sovereignty. We have been dealing with this crisis for more than a year and though there are signs of progress in vaccinations, there are still the threat of emerging variants and delays in the delivery of these much-needed remedies. I must admit that just like in the battlefield I am at that height of being weary … my strength waning down and unable to continue fighting.
I came across with these verses and suddenly these gave me a spiritual boost. Praise God because He has provided us with precious armor to stand our ground and continue with this fight. Read with me Ephesians 6:13-18. May these verses strengthen you as they strengthened me.
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Crisis is inevitable. It will grow in intensity and can throw us off anytime. The verses above always urge us to put on the full armor of God and be on alert. Prayer and communing with God is our best defense. The more intense the trials, the more we need to spend time in prayer with the Lord. This will strengthen our faith that will shield us from various attacks. This will also sharpen our sword as we spend time in God’s word and revel in His promises. Connect with a group that will spur the spiritual fire in us. By God’s grace, let’s stand our ground, fortify our defenses and be victorious!
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